宣传估计400万元 实派逾300万
星岛日报/加拿大广播公司新闻(CBC News)揭露，六合彩所宣传的彩池通常都被高估数十万元。
全国各地都有举办六合彩，而所公布的最低彩池估计为400万元，但周三头奖的派彩其实只略高于300万。由于无人中头奖，以往是将400万元奖金加倍，但周五所见，投注站标示彩池为少见的700万元。
加拿大广播公司新闻获悉，自从12月以来，在28个六合彩的彩池之中，共有14次少于售票站所宣传的“估计400万元”，亦即占了一半。
举例来说，，有关8次于周三开奖的六合彩彩池全部都宣传为400万元，但全部头奖派彩都不足370万（日期见附表）。
六合彩发言人狄姬(Paula Dyke)归咎于彩票滞销，但补充称正在进行检讨。
她于周五向加拿大广播公司新闻表示，正研究是否有更好的方法来就彩池作出估计，以确保准确性。
周四，大西洋省份彩票局(Atlantic Lottery Corporation)表示，将要调查国内一些彩池的估计方法。
全国调查误导宣传
在加拿大广播公司新闻作出有关的报道之后，这些调查已扩大至全国。
若干消费者监察组织表示，全国的彩票局作出误导的宣传。这些组织要求终止这样的做法。
加拿大博彩监察(Gambling Watch Canada)的伊尔兰(Brian Yealland)表示，赢取所宣传的彩金的机会是零。
多伦多一个售票站的顾客在获悉这种情况后也不知如何是好。然而，当中起码有一人认为，一旦有这么大额的彩金，得奖者也不好抱怨。
他说：“坦白讲，如果我赢得300万或400万，对我来说根本没有甚么分别。”
制表宣传为400万元派彩不足370万日期10月4日，11月22日，12月6日，12月13日，1月3日，1月10日，1月17日，2月14日
Lotto 6/49 to probe boosted jackpot claims
Last Updated: Friday, March 9, 2007 | 3:24 PM ET
CBC News
Investigations into Lotto 6/49 jackpots are widening across Canada after CBC News discovered the advertised weekly winning amounts are often overestimated by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Lotto 6/49, which is held across Canada, advertises a minimum jackpot of an estimated $4 million, but Wednesday’s winner was only worth $3 million.
Half of all jackpots since December — 14 of 28 — have been worth far less than the “estimated $4 million” that retailers advertise, CBC News has learned.
For example, the Wednesday 6/49 jackpots on Oct. 4, Nov. 22, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Jan. 3, Jan. 10, Jan. 17 and Feb. 14 all were advertised to be worth $4 million, and all paid out less than $3.7 million. That’s the cutoff that is supposed to trigger an estimate being lowered to $3.5 million.
Lotto 6/49 spokeswoman Paula Dyke blamed slumping sales of tickets, but added a review is now underway.
“The formula that calculates that jackpot hasn’t added up to $4 million, so we are looking to see if there is a better way to provide that base estimate and to make sure that it is accurate,” she told CBC News Friday.
The news comes a day after the Atlantic Lottery Corporation said it would probe the estimation of the size of some of the national jackpots.
Consumer watchdog groups are calling for an end to what they say is misleading advertising by lottery officials across the country.
“The chance of winning in the series they are talking about is zero per cent,” Brian Yealland of Gambling Watch Canada said. “You have a zero per cent chance of winning that much money, so the problem is there is a kind of gamble with the public trust.”
Patrons at a Toronto lottery kiosk didn’t know what to make of the news, but at least one said it’s hard for a winner to complain once the jackpot gets that high.
“Quite honestly, if I won $3.4 million or $4 million, it wouldn’t make much difference to me,” he said.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/03/09/lotto-probe.html
