Diamond 7's Still Looking Good

The top rated game plowed through an estimated 45,000+ tickets without surrendering a Grand Prize last week. Your odds to win one of the two remaining outstanding prizes are now just under 300,000:1 compared to the 437,000:1 at the outset of the game. The game also sports the best revenue return to small winners of any $5 game. I know, the Grand Prize is disappointing at $77,777.

Top Rated Games

1. $5 Diamond 7's #1822 - Good all round choice. 
2. $1 Wild 8's #1813 - A $1 game in 2nd place? An unusual circumstance. 
3. $10 Classic Ruby #1792 - Working its way back up after coughing up a Grand Prize. 
4. $3 QFG Crossword #3208 - Good numbers but 2 million to one to win a $50k GP!
5. $3 Bingo #3016 - Playable, if you don't like the others. 

Games to Avoid

1. $4 Dbl CFL #1170 - Horrible small prize availability. OTOH, better than Lotto Max. 
2. $2 Black Jack #1804 - All GPs gone long ago. Still sold 65,000 tickets last week, 
3. $10 Bejeweled #1786 - Lowest small prize return of any $10 game. Negative Top Prize ratio.
4. $3 Wheel of Fortune #1809 - All Grand Prizes claimed. 
5. $2 Cash For Life #1169 - 4 good Grand Prizes left for $2. Negative Top Prize ratio.

Best Games if Your Priority is the Grand Prize

1. Double Cash For Life
2. Bejeweled
3. Fortune
4. Extraordinary
5. Diamond 7's

Games With All Grand Prizes Claimed

• Crossword #3207 - Most you can win is $100. Sold 90k of them last week!
• Words With Friends - Top two prize categories claimed. 
• Wheel Of Fortune - Pat and Vanna are laughing
• Cashingo
• Blackjack

Comings and Goings

Nothing to report. That may be a first!

Personal Play

Another bad week returning $22 on a $48 investment. Also lost $10 on the Gatineau Olympiques 50/50 draw. Go Ol Go! That Rimouski team looks awfully good.

In Conclusion

A CBC piece on the subject of on-line gambling. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/online-gambling-is-it-worth-the-risk-for-governments-1.3001653 .

The OLG is simply following the path forged by similar organizations in districts across the US and Canada. They use the same tired drivel to explain their vision and the benefits that they provide to all Ontarians. We do know that Electronic Bingo has been a bust to date. That was one of the first planks of their so-called "modernization". Not surprising. People who go to Bingo halls go with friends and enjoy getting game sheets and daubers lined up for the action. Replacing that with touch screens is not going to do the trick.

The OLG estimates that it loses $400 million  to off-shore gambling sites. How much of that is coming back with the advent of www.playolg.ca? Not much, in my estimation. Pokerstars and the likes of Betfair are not worried in the least. What it may do is cannibalize casino returns as some players will choose to play slots at home rather than drive in to the casino. That fact, of course, has the effect of lowering bids from private companies who are vying to run facilities in the province. We'll see how it all unfolds but I will not be surprised if the whole thing turns into nothing other than shedding payroll for employees currently working and paying taxes to the province.

Spring is here and we can all think of better things to do than scratch tickets.

Doug