THE GAME THAT STARTED IT ALL: WINTARIO

• WINTARIO – Ontario’s first provincial lottery game – broadcast its first draw live in Toronto on TV on May 15, 1975.
• OLG held live WINTARIO broadcast draws – hosted by Fred Davis and Faye Dance – in cities across Ontario, travelling over 10,400 kilometers each year and giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in lottery prizes and creating great legacies in Ontario communities.  
• More than 600 live WINTARIO draws were held across the province.
• Production crews who helped air the live travelling shows logged an estimated distance of nine and a half times around the world, just in Ontario.
• WINTARIO game proceeds were dedicated to promote physical fitness, sports, cultural and recreational activities.
• WINTARIO, in a joint effort with communities and individuals, funded 33,000 non-capital and capital projects in the areas of sports, fitness, recreation and culture. Key community facilities including arenas, art galleries, recreation centres and libraries became realities in communities large and small.
• The final draw for the original WINTARIO game was held on January 4, 1990.
• WINTARIO Extra launched in 1990 and included an INSTANT game along with a draw. The game ran until 1996.
• Since its retirement in 1996, OLG has brought back the WINTARIO brand in various ways to celebrate the game that started it all.

OLG’S WINNING HISTORY

• 100% of OLG’s profits are reinvested back into the province. Since 1975, OLG has generated approximately $62 billion for the people and province of Ontario, which has helped support provincial priorities such as health care, the treatment and prevention of problem gambling, support for amateur athletes, and other initiatives. Each year, profits from OLG's operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province
• Here are just some of the ways OLG made an impact in the 2023-24 fiscal year:
  • More than $2.6 billion in lottery prizes to players
  • $2.4 billion net profit to the province which was directed by the Government of Ontario to provincial priorities
  • $762 million in support for local economies
    • $113 million in direct funding to Ontario’s horse racing industry
    • $163 million in payments to the Ontario First Nations through the Gaming Revenue Sharing and Financial Agreement
    • $167 million paid to municipalities and Ontario First Nations that host Land-based Casino Gaming facilities and Charitable Gaming Centres
    • $319 million in commissions paid to the 10,000 lottery retailers across the province
  • $96 million in Charitable Gaming proceeds for participating local charities
  • $1.7 million in community sponsorships including festivals and events such as Bon Soo Winter Carnival, Pride Toronto, Gathering at the Rapids Pow Wow, Wake the Giant Music Festival, Francophonie en Fête, and more.
  • OLG is proud to be a longstanding supporter of amateur athletes in Ontario. Since 2006, OLG and the Ontario Government have supported high-performance amateur athletes through Quest for Gold, which provides direct financial support to thousands of amateur athletes, enhancing their ability to train by offsetting the costs of training and living expenses.

BE PART OF OLG’S 50^th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

• In addition to rolling out special 50^th themed games and contests, OLG will be popping up at community events across Ontario to say thank you for a great 50 years of giving back and offer even more opportunities to win.
• OLG will be bringing excitement to community events across Ontario. By participating in fun 50^th activities, participants can support a local charity and win great prizes for themselves. Find OLG at these and other events this summer:
  • June 27-29: Ottawa Jazz Festival in Ottawa
  • July 3-6: Essex Fun Fest in Windsor
  • July 17-19: RotaryFest in Sault Ste. Marie
  • July 25-26: Bollywood Monster Mashup in Mississauga
  • August 21-24: CNE in Toronto
  • September 12-14: Super Crawl Festival in Hamilton
• OLG will be celebrating throughout the next few months. Stay up to date by visiting Welcome to WINTARIO.