The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has unveiled a new online lottery, “Hit or Miss,” where drawings are held every five minutes.
The new game combines retail sales and online draws, with a short window of opportunity. Customers buy at a retail venue, then watch via a mobile app or online at PlayOLG.ca.
Critics don’t like the quick-fire drawings, which they say is particularly bad for those who have trouble controlling their gaming urge. OLG says the new game poses no more of a risk than other instant win products.
OLG is trying out an amphibious product that has one foot in retail and the other online, drawing potential customers to the website, which since going live two years ago has underperformed. Forecasts were for annual profits of C$100 million, but were only C$15 million the first year. OLG blames this underperformance on completion from offshore gaming sites that serve the Canadian market.
OLG plans to join its counterparts in Quebec in attempting to block the domains of international competitors. This has already been challenged in court with the Quebec Superior Court scheduled to hear the first such challenge this spring.
