A new lottery in Ontario offering draws every five minutes has some advocates saying the game is too much of a gamble for those battling addiction.
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The new game called Hit or Miss begins Jan. 9 and requires players to buy a $2 ticket at a lottery retailer. They can then download the associated app and watch the draw live on their phone or on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corportation website. To be in the money, players must have all the numbers, or none of them.
Advocates for gambling addiction say the frequency of the draws poses a risk for problem gamblers.
“A $2 ticket doesn't seem that intimidating right? And the hope that's attached to it creates a problem,” Shontelle Prokipcak, a therapist who works with addictive gamblers, told CTV Ottawa.
“It's cycling every five minutes and then there's the disappointment unless you have a win so that's going to be constant. It's right there in their home or at work or wherever they are so that's going to be probably a challenge for some people.”
The OLG says the game has the same risk for gambling addiction as the instant games already on the market, like scratch tickets.
“Because you have to see the draws on mobile or on your laptop, they're designed with built-in player protections and our responsible gambling information,” said OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti.
The organization also says to limit the risk of gambling addiction, players are limited to 30 draws in advance and must go to a lottery retailer to buy the tickets.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Katie Griffin
