News release

New Lotto Regulations Now in Effect

Labour and Workforce Development (April 2008 - Jan. 2011)

Amendments to the Atlantic Lottery Regulations passed last spring come into effect today, Oct. 1.

The regulations strengthen consumer protection, reduce the chance of fraud, and help preserve the integrity of the lottery system.

Retailers of Atlantic Lottery products are now required by law to, among other things,:

  • only sell or pay out lottery tickets to customers 19 years of age or older
  • only sell tickets for the price listed on the ticket
  • only pay out tickets that have been signed
  • make the results of the lottery machine visible to the customer
  • return all slips from the ticket validation machine to the customer
  • return tickets to the customer
  • provide a self-serve ticket-checker to customers

While most of the regulations affecting retailers are already in place through the arrangements between retailers and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, they are now regulatory requirements and inspection officers will be visiting retailers to ensure compliance.

The new regulations also outline requirements of retailers relating to paying out cash prizes and reporting wins, and give the alcohol and gaming division of the Department of Labour and Workforce Development more authority to investigate concerns.