International recognition

Loto-Québec distinguishes itself, takes home the
World Lottery Association’s Best Player Education Program award 

Montréal, October 31 – Loto-Québec distinguished itself at the first World Lottery Association (WLA) Responsible Gaming award ceremony by winning the Best Player Education Program prize. Awarded during the WLA 2008 Convention and Trade Show that took place in Greece at the end of October, this prize acknowledges the quality of the initiatives put forward by the Corporation in the field of responsible gaming.

Alain Cousineau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Loto-Québec commented, “Winning this award is a great honour for us. Conscious of our responsibilities, we have, over the years, implemented various broad-based measures and programs in all spheres of our activities that are intended to educate our clients and to encourage them to adopt healthy gaming behaviours.”

For her part, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for Loto-Québec Ms. Monique Jérôme-Forget stated that she was “very pleased to see how well Loto‑Québec’s Board of Directors, Senior Management and employees are discharging their mandate and are able to make the Corporation stand out internationally as a leader in the field of responsible gaming.”

WLA Independent Panel

The WLA Independent Panel members are Errol p. Mendes, Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Alice Tepper Marlin, President of International Social Accountability, New York, John Luff, Founder and President of Sustainable Marketing, London, Inés Garcia-Pintos Balbas, head of International Relations and Social Responsibility for the Confederation of Spanish Savings Banks, Madrid and Mike Randall, Chair of the Independent Panel for the WLA Responsible Gaming Framework.

The panel president made the following comments about Loto-Québec’s candidacy: “The Player Education and Management Award looked at the lottery which best provided lottery players with key information and education on ways to play responsibly, to keep lottery fun and to ensure players had the information necessary if they required more information or assistance with their play. Loto Quebec's innovative and engaging program not only did that but it also took into consideration the cultural and socio-economic factors of all its player-base, creating unique approaches to unique player groups. Truly a world-class program.”

Loto-Québec’s educational programs for players

Among other measures related to player information, Loto-Québec has implemented the Responsible Gaming Awareness Week, whose audience is the general public as well as its business partners and employees; this year, the weeklong program will take place from November 16-22.

The Corporation has also set up proactive player intervention programs including the casino and Ludoplex self-exclusion programs and the I.D. Required Here program in support of Québec’s law that prohibits lottery sales to individuals under the age of 18.

Working with the Centre québécois d’excellence pour la prévention et le traitement du jeu at Université Laval, Loto-Québec provides continuous training to video lottery terminal operators and their employees about chance and compulsive gambling, with the As Luck Would Have It program. On-line Accès + training is also available – and mandatory for lottery retailers.

In particular, through its own web site as well as the Fondation Mise sur toi site, Loto-Québec provides players with a wealth of information on the phenomenon of gaming dependency and associated risks, as well as on available programs and preventive measures. Moreover, the Au Centre du hasard information centres in the Montréal and Lac-Leamy casinos offer players the opportunity to better understand chance and gaming. To respond to the needs of various ethnic and Aboriginal communities, Loto‑Québec provides information in many languages including Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cree and Montagnais.

Open to members of the WLA, an international association of 140 lottery corporations, this responsible gaming competition acknowledges the best accomplishments in the Games of Chance Industry. Prizes in four categories were awarded in this year’s competition, including Best Employee Training, Best Retailer Training, Best Reporting and Best Player Education Program, in addition to the 2008 WLA Grand Prize that recognizes the overall approach of a lottery corporation to the promotion of responsible gaming.

Loto-Québec distinguished itself at the first World Lottery Association (WLA) Responsible Gaming award ceremony by winning the Best Player Education Program prize, awarded during the WLA 2008 Convention and Trade Show that took place in Greece at the end of October 2008. This prize acknowledges the quality of the initiatives put forward by Loto-Québec in the field of responsible gaming. In the usual order: Nicole Beaulieu, Managing Director, Fondation Mise sur toi, Alain Cousineau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Loto-Québec and Lynne Roiter, Corporate Secretary and Vice-President, Legal Affairs.

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Information: 

Jean-Pierre Roy
Media Relations
514 499-5151

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