News Release Archive
GAMING CORPORATION--ATLANTIC LOTTERY AUDIT ----------------------------------------------------------------- The provincial government is pleased with the results of the Auditor General's special audit of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC), and will champion the recommendations at the ALC board of directors table, Bill Gillis said Monday. Dr. Gillis, minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation, said Nova Scotia commissioned the audit in the spirit of an open, accountable lottery and gaming industry, and the province's Auditor General has made recommendations that will help in that regard. "In commissioning the audit we were also interested in determining whether Nova Scotians are receiving all the benefits to which they are entitled as partners in Atlantic Lottery. The Auditor General identifies some inequities in the profit and cost distribution formula that the four provinces will have to resolve." The minister also noted that the province is pleased that the Auditor General concluded that the integrity of Atlantic Lottery and its games are not in question. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island are partners in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which conducts lotteries in, and on behalf of, all four provinces. The ALC board of directors is made up of two representatives from each province. Profits and costs are distributed among the provinces based on a six-year old formula. Ralph Fiske, chairman of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation said the audit recommended action to address a number of Nova Scotia's concerns with Atlantic Lottery. Those concerns include profit and cost distribution, the distribution of economic benefits from ALC activity, the lottery corporation's recent decision to lease new space in Moncton (a decision opposed by Nova Scotia's representatives on the ALC board), and general accountability. "In Nova Scotia, the Gaming Corporation reports in detail every quarter about the financial and business aspects of gaming, and the Nova Scotia Gaming Control Commission's annual report is the most complete account of gaming activity produced by any province. We'd like to see Atlantic Lottery embrace a similar standard of accountability, and the Auditor General agrees," Mr. Fiske said. -30- Contact: Ralph Fiske 902-424-2203 NOTE TO EDITORS: Copies of the special shareholder's audit report on the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, prepared by Nova Scotia's Auditor General, are available at the Nova Scotia Government Bookstore, 1700 Granville Street, Halifax, call 1-800-526-6575 (toll free) or from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation 902-424-2203. trp Mar. 24, 1997 - 10:30 a.m.