Your Gambling Questions, Answered

Ever wondered how gambling odds work? We’ve got the answers to your most pressing gambling questions.

What should I know, if I choose to gamble?

If you choose to gamble, it’s a good idea to learn about the game itself, how to play, and how much time and money you want to spend. You should also have a plan in place to minimize harmful outcomes that can result from excessive gambling.

Gambling is intended to be a recreational activity. Whether you or someone you know chooses to gamble, it’s important to understand that gambling comes with potentially serious risks. The fact is, most people lose when they play the lottery, play a casino game, or place a bet. That’s why you, your family, and your friends should know how the games work, how to protect yourselves from harm and where to go if you need help.

How do odds work in slot machines?

Slot machine odds are fixed. No matter how you play, the odds of winning always stay the same. However, the payout odds for slot machines vary based on the machine. You can’t tell by the appearance of the machine, but the odds of hitting the top prize may be as low as one in 17,000,000 spins.

1 in 17,000,000

You can’t tell by the appearance of the machine, but the odds of hitting the top prize may be as low as one in 17,000,000 spins.

What is self-exclusion?

The Self-Exclusion program is a tool you can use if you want to take a break from gambling. It’s a commitment you make to yourself by voluntarily agreeing not to gamble for a chosen time, online or at land-based venues. Voluntary self-exclusion is a popular program in place in many gambling establishments in North America, Australia, South Africa, Europe and Asia.

You can also self-ban from online gambling websites by downloading site blockers, like GamBan.

In Ontario:

The Self-Exclusion program has been enhanced and rebranded to My PlayBreak as of September 12^th, 2022.

My PlayBreak for Casinos: applies to all casinos in Ontario. Registering in My PlayBreak for Casinos also makes you ineligible to play on OLG.ca
My PlayBreak for OLG.ca: applies to OLG.ca only
My PlayBreak for Charitable Gaming: applies to all Charitable Gaming Centres (i.e. bingo halls) in Ontario

Is there such a thing as responsible gambling?

Yes. Responsible gambling refers to gambling that minimizes risk to players. It involves players setting safeguards that include money and time limits, not seeing gambling as a way to make money and never borrowing money to gamble.

Responsible gambling occurs through the collective actions and shared responsibility among stakeholders, including government, gaming operators, regulators, treatment providers, community groups and individual gamblers.

How do lottery draws work?

Draw-based lotteries use one of two draw methods: a random ball-drop or a random number generator to select the winning numbers. Both methods ensure a random result for every draw. There is no strategy to predict the winning combination as draws are completely random.