WINDSOR

OLG looking for private companies to bid on running lottery business

The Canadian Press Published Monday, September 8, 2014 3:41PM EDT

Lotto 649 tickets are shown in Toronto in a recent photo. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. says it will make more people millionaires each week starting this fall.The lottery agency is creating a new $1 million prize for Lotto 6/49 and guarantees there will be a winner at each draw.

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TORONTO - The Ontario government is looking for a private company to run the province's lottery business.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming is asking companies to bid on its $1.3-billion-a-year lottery business to expand sales beyond convenience and grocery stores.

A request for proposals has been issued for a provider to run "specific day-to-day operations of the lottery business in Ontario."

However, the agency says it will not release the names of any pre-qualified bidders for the lottery business until a new service provider is announced a year from now.

OLG turns over about $2 billion a year to the provincial government and is its largest single source of non-tax revenue.

The province will retain ownership of the lottery business even after a private sector provider to run the lotteries has been selected.