OLG to limit release of Ontario lottery winners’ full names

From now on, those looking for the full name of an Ontario lottery winner will have to visit the OLG website.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says it will limit how lottery winners are identified publicly.

In the past, winners’ full names were released to the media and other outlets. Now, only a winner’s first name and the initial of their last name will be included in a release.

“We have been hearing from winners for some time about the need to protect their privacy, but we must balance that with our responsibility to be transparent,” OLG representatives said in an emailed response to inquiries from INsauga.com.

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The change was first noticed April 15, when the OLG issued releases announcing recent lottery winners.

While written releases had typically included full names, photos of winners holding ceremonial cheques have long shown only the first name and last initial.

“So we decided to do the same for the winner story releases,” the OLG said.

Full names of winners of $1,000 or more will continue to appear on OLG.ca for 30 days.

The OLG is a Crown corporation owned by the Ontario government and is responsible for managing gaming in the province, including lotteries, casinos, electronic bingo and its online gaming platform.