It pays to know.

Ontarians find it exciting to play lottery games. It's fun to experience the anticipation of winning and, of course, imagining what you would do if you won. But before deciding to play, it's important to remember that these games are for entertainment, not a way to make money.

Warning signs that lottery play is a problem:

• Spending more time or money than you planned or can afford
• Borrowing money to gamble
• Gambling with money meant for other responsibilities (such as food, rent, etc.)
• Neglecting important responsibilities such as work or family to gamble
• Lying about, or covering up, how much you spend or lose
• Chasing your losses to try to win your money back
• Arguments with friends and family, especially about money issues
• Owing money due to gambling

If any of these warning signs apply to you, or you have any questions - help is available by calling:
The Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline 1-888-230-3505.

Lotteries are age-restricted products.

By law, selling lottery products to (or redeeming lottery products for) minors is illegal and is punishable with significant penalties. Giving minors tickets as gifts or asking them to scratch your tickets may give conflicting messages about who these products are intended for.

Part of promoting responsible play is to ensure that no one under the age of 18 years is allowed to buy or redeem lottery products. If you believe an OLG retailer may be selling lottery tickets to (or redeeming lottery tickets for) minors, please call the OLG Support Centre, toll-free, at 1-800-387-0098 to report your concerns.

Can you improve your odds of winning?

No. Your personal strategies or lucky rituals have no impact on the final outcome of a game. Due to the random nature of the draw, it's impossible to predict what combination of numbers will be drawn or which INSTANT ticket will be a winner.

You cannot improve your odds by:

• Playing the same numbers every week
• Picking numbers more often/less often than others in the past
• Buying tickets from a store where a winning ticket was previously sold