VICTORIA - An independent and comprehensive audit of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's (BCLC) retail lottery system and government's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) is being launched, Solicitor General John Les announced today.

Government is also accepting and implementing all 27 recommendations from the Ombudsman's May 29, 2007 report entitled Winning Fair and Square: A Report on the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's Prize Payout Process.

"The Ombudsman's report is a start, but by no means an end," said Les. "The bigger question of how and why B.C.'s retail lottery system was left vulnerable to potential fraud remains, and that question is what the audit is intended to answer."

Selection of an auditing firm is underway, as is the preliminary drafting of terms of reference. The terms will be broad enough to ensure resulting recommendations to government will enhance the integrity and oversight of B.C.'s lottery system. In addition, all audit findings will be made public as will a report on the implementation of all recommendations made by the Ombudsman.

"In 2002, when we introduced legislation to strengthen and streamline the management of gaming in the province we did so to ensure greater accountability for decision-making," said Les. "The Ombudsman's report calls into serious question a number of decisions made and actions taken by GPEB and BCLC."

Auditors will also be given a mandate to examine the broader issues of management and corporate executive culture.

"British Columbians deserve to know that when they buy a lottery ticket they're playing within a system that's monitored, fair and focused on the customer," said Les. "The steps we're taking today will ensure the province has a lottery retail system everyone can have confidence in."