OLG CELEBRATES 50 YEARS BY TURNING ONTARIO INTO 'WINTARIO'

Cision Canada

24-06-2025

Launches Limited-time WINTARIO50 Lottery Game With 800 Guaranteed Prizes and a Contest to Give Back to Local Communities
TORONTO, /CNW/ - Ontario, it's time to celebrate! For 50 years, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has been part of Ontario's winning story — delivering exciting moments to players and over $62 billion to support communities since 1975.
With the help of Ottawa-born actor Jay Baruchel and Toronto's Faye Dance, original host of the WINTARIO Live broadcast, OLG is marking this milestone with the launch of "Welcome to Wintario" – a celebration honouring five decades of play, community support and lasting impact. Over the next six months, OLG will be rolling out a series of 50 th themed games and contests, and bringing wins to community events across Ontario, beginning with the Ottawa Jazz Festival this upcoming weekend.
"OLG's first lottery game, WINTARIO, started it all, bringing excitement to communities and laying the foundation for the impact we've made across the province," said Duncan Hannay, President and CEO of OLG. "With 100 per cent of our profits staying right here in Ontario supporting priorities like health care, amateur sport, charities and more, every play with OLG is a winning one. To say thank you to the players and communities that have been part of our legacy, we're delivering even more wins to Ontario this year."
To kick it all off, OLG is launching WINTARIO50, a new limited-time, raffle-style lottery game available now until the one-time draw on August 14, 2025. WINTARIO50 offers 800 guaranteed prizes worth a total of more than $5 million. Plus, OLG is giving more than $1 million to Ontario communities through the WINTARIO50 Community Contest.
With each WINTARIO50 purchase, players have a chance to win up to $50,000 in the lottery game. Players also have an opportunity to enter the WINTARIO50 Community Contest for a separate chance to win a $5,000 personal prize and to nominate a United Way region for a chance for it to win up to $250,000 from OLG. 1
WINTARIO50 can be purchased for one play for $5 or three plays for $10 and is available at participating lottery retail locations across Ontario or on OLG.ca. Visit www.olg.ca/wintario50 for more information about how to play, prizing details and odds of winning.
Stay up to date by visiting Welcome to WINTARIO.
OLG promotes responsible gambling and is committed to helping players create and maintain smart play habits. OLG's PlaySmart program helps players enjoy games in a responsible way.
1 In support of United Way. Contest ends August 18, 2025. No Purchase Necessary. 18+, Ontario only. Community Prize: Each nominated United Way Centraide Ontario region ("Community") has a chance to win one of 26 prizes ranging from $5000-250,000. Eligible entrants can nominate any one of the 26 Communities regardless of place of residence in the province. Participant Prize: 26 prizes of $5000 available to be won, with one prize allocated per Community. Odds of winning are separate for each participant prize and depend on the total number of entries received for the corresponding Community. For rules and entry details, visit www.olg.ca/wintario50.
Celebrating 50 years of wins and giving back! OLG is a crown agency that contributes to a better Ontario by delivering great entertainment experiences for our customers. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of province-wide lottery games; Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG is also helping support the horse racing industry in Ontario. OLG has been giving back to Ontario since 1975, generating approximately $62 billion for the people and the Province to support key government priorities like health care; the treatment and prevention of problem gambling; and support for amateur athletes. Each year profits from OLG's operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province.
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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