Sports bettors forced to wait weeks for winnings from OLG
CBC
It's been four weeks since Carl Zhou first tried to withdraw his deposits and winnings on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation sports betting platform, Proline, he says.
Since signing up during a promotion in November, the Mississauga resident says he's made successful bets on college basketball, hockey and football games. But despite submitting all the necessary paperwork and multiple chats with customer service, he says he isn't any closer to receiving his money.
"I'm a little bit disappointed at the lack of response that I've been getting," said Zhou, adding he's on competing platforms and hasn't run into similar problems there.
"Usually … if you have a problem with this type of issue, you report it to some like, government entity. But in this case, this is the government."
Zhou is one of multiple OLG Proline gamblers waiting indefinitely since roughly last month to claim their winnings and who are now turned off of using it as their main digital gambling platform as a result. OLG says the delays are due to having to verify a wave of new accounts, but one expert says they show the Crown corporation is failing to adapt and compete with private companies.
In an email to CBC News, OLG wouldn't confirm how many people are affected by the delays due to the "highly competitive nature of Ontario's open gaming market," according to OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti.
The corporation says it registered "a significant influx of new players" ahead of last month's Super Bowl and is working through a backlog of bank account verification requests — a process required by the its regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
"We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers while we work diligently to review and subsequently verify bank accounts as quickly as possible," Bitonti said. "OLG prides itself on always paying its winners and also carefully complying with regulatory standards."
The Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario confirmed to CBC Toronto that the OLG falls within its jurisdiction, and said in an email that anyone affected can reach out.
OLG also won't say how many people signed up as a result of the promotions it ran ahead of the Super Bowl, but Bitonti said the OLG is "pleased with customer response" to what it offered.
One past promotion on its website suggested people could get over $500 in bonuses after betting $50.
That campaign was what ultimately convinced Waterloo, Ont., resident Val Strambu to make a Super Bowl bet. After hearing about sports betting from his daughter and her partner, he told CBC News he decided the return was "worth the gamble," particularly with a "trusted" brand like the OLG.
But while Stramu says he won over $1,000 from his bet, he's been waiting over a month to claim it. He says he doesn't understand why verifying his bank information is taking this long when OLG had no trouble accepting his money.
"Opening the Proline account was a breeze," he noted.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.
Students at the University of Regina are days away from deciding whether a newly formed student association should become their official representative body.
All public schools on P.E.I. are closed Friday and thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power as strong winds create hazardous travel conditions across the province.
Prince Rupert, B.C., residents are celebrating the holidays this year with coastal flair.
In the four years Chelsey Simmonds has worked at the Eva Rothwell Centre, she has seen the need increase every year at the centre’s community food pantry.
CBC is once again looking to make the holiday season kind in Windsor-Essex.
Acute Care Alberta has extended its contract for another year with a private surgical facility at the centre of probes into health procurement and contracting.
As food bank use continues to climb across the province, front-line workers in Thunder Bay, Ont., are working to improve both food security and education.
More ads could soon be coming to Toronto’s subway system.