VANCOUVER (CBC) - The B.C. Lottery Corp. is considering a player card system in its effort to address the issue of lottery retailer fraud.

The card, which would be swiped by the retailer at the time of purchase, would record the player's ticket purchase and allow winnings to be directly deposited into the player's bank account, Robin Cook, a spokeswoman for the corporation, told CBC News Monday.

Following an investigation last year, provincial ombudsman Kim Carter recommended just such a system after discovering that some retailers appeared to be winning unusually often: 21 B.C. Lottery Corp. retailers or employees turned up as multiple winners.

One retailer won 11 times in five years, collecting more than $300,000 in prizes.

Cook said the new system would also encourage faster, easier play, and the corporation is asking for bids from contractors to develop one.

Lottery sales across Canada have declined: specialist

A lottery card would provide the corporation with a lot of data on who's purchasing the tickets, said Garry Smith, a gambling specialist with the Alberta Gaming Research Institute at the University of Alberta.

Smith said eliminating the middleman or retailer in the price payout procedure could improve security, but he believes the main reason for such a system is declining lottery ticket sales.

"Lottery sales across Canada have stabilized or dropped over the last few years, partly due to competition from other more exciting games that you can play," he said. "It's also because of the scandals in B.C. and Ontario."

An investigation in October 2006 by the CBC's The Fifth Estate sparked a public uproar surrounding the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp, bringing to light numerous cases in which store clerks were accused of fraudulently claiming millions of dollars in prizes.

Ontario's ombudsman, André Marin, was called in to investigate. He said the corporation was "too cozy" with its retailers and paid out $100 million to "lottery insiders" from 1999 to 2006.

Marin passed his files on to the Ontario Provincial Police for further investigation.

LIKE IT?  LET OTHERS KNOW