TORONTO – The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) today began the next step forward in modernizing the province’s lottery industry by issuing a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ). The purpose of the RFPQ is to pre-qualify service providers for the day-to-day operation of lottery in Ontario.

At this stage in the process, potential service providers are being asked to demonstrate their experience as it relates to the lottery business. This includes:

• Success in developing customer driven growth strategies;
• Ability to operate complex and dynamic businesses;
• Access to the resources, tools and technology needed to operate a sustainable lottery business; and
• Capacity to lead the transition of customers, retailers, employee and technology to a new operating model.

“By modernizing our lottery business, we will increase efficiencies, expand options for lottery sales, and introduce new games and innovation to the system,” said Rod Phillips, OLG President and Chief Executive Officer. “We want to make playing the lottery more convenient and engaging for our customers.”

Based on the responses it receives from the RPFQ, OLG will identify service providers eligible to receive and respond to the Request for Proposal (RFP), the next stage in OLG’s procurement process for modernizing lottery.

Following the RFP, OLG will select a qualified service provider to be the Lottery Integrator, Technology Lead and Marketing and Sales Lead.

The service provider will be responsible for recommending strategies to maximize the growth and success of the lottery business, developing products and marketing plans, operations, and process and cost optimization. It will also serve as a single point of contact for OLG by being responsible for everything subcontractors do and ensuring they deliver on OLG’s modernization requirements.

In the future, OLG will continue its role in the conduct, management and oversight of lottery. This includes setting the overall strategy for lottery, managing the market by approving channel strategies and approving products.

OLG will also continue to prevent and mitigate the effects of problem gambling through its Responsible Gambling program, which is recognized internationally by the World Lottery Association’s certification program.

The issuance of this Lottery RFPQ follows a successful Request for Information (RFI) process, through which OLG received more than 30 submissions.

“We’re very pleased with the level of interest in our business and the extent of the information provided to us through the RFI,” said Phillips. “It’s clear that there is a lot of interest in the opportunities Ontario has to offer when it comes to lottery.”

OLG has two impartial advisors providing oversight on the integrity and fairness of the procurement process.

Once the modernization of lottery and gaming in Ontario is complete, OLG will have increased its net contribution to the province by $1.3 billion annually, while creating thousands of jobs and driving more than $3 billion in capital investment across Ontario.

Interested service providers must respond to the Lottery RFPQ by April 4, 2013.

OLG will continue to issue RFPQs for the modernization of gaming in Ontario. The first wave of gaming RFPQs was released on Friday, November 30, 2012.

All RFPQs will be available on MERX™ (www.merx.com/olg). MERX™ charges a fee to download this type of material.

Additional information is available in the media section at www.OLG.ca:

• OLG Backgrounder, which provides more details about the Lottery RFPQ and OLG’s Modernization Procurement Process 
• Summary of the Lottery RFPQ

OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities. Since 1975, OLG lotteries, Casinos, Slots, and Resort Casinos have generated more than $36 billion for the benefit of the Province of Ontario. Gaming proceeds support Ontario's hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

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