Playing lottery games can be a lot of fun, as long as you remember that these games are for entertainment and cost money. Buying a lottery ticket can be very exciting, but it's important to remember to purchase only what you can afford.

Warning signs that lottery play is a problem

• Spending more time or money than you planned or can afford.
• Borrowing money to buy lottery tickets.
• Buying tickets with money meant for other responsibilities (such as food, rent, etc.).
• Neglecting important responsibilities such as work, school or family.
• Lying about, or covering up, how much you play or lose.
• Trying to win back money you have lost ("chasing your losses").
• Arguments with friends and family, especially about money issues.
• Owing money to family, friends, credit cards.

If you are concerned about any of the warning signs, help is available by calling:
The Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline 1-888-230-3505

Lotteries are age-restricted products

OLG takes underage lottery play very seriously.

You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase lottery tickets in Ontario. By law, selling lottery products to minors is illegal. It is a provincial offence punishable with significant fines for a retailer to sell a ticket to a minor.

Ensuring that no one under the age of 18 years can buy or redeem lottery products is part of responsible play. Giving tickets to minors as gifts or asking them to scratch your tickets may give conflicting messages about who these products are intended for. In addition, including minors in your lottery play, as innocent as it may seem, may increase the risk that they will experience gambling problems in the future.

If you have information about any retailer selling lottery tickets to minors, please call OLG's Customer Excellence Centre at 1-800-387-0098.

Lottery Myths

Can you improve your odds of winning LOTTO or INSTANT games?

No. Your level of skill, personal strategies, or superstitions cannot influence the final outcome of the game. Due to the random nature of lottery games, it is impossible to predict what combination of numbers will be drawn or which INSTANT ticket will be a winner.

You CANNOT improve your odds by:

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