Ahead of the official Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony on July 26th, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has announced it is partnering with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, becoming Team Canada's official lottery partner.
Historic Partnership
The partnership is a historic moment for the OLG as it is the first sponsorship of this kind that the organisation has become involved in. Notably, it is the first Olympics events to be held since the Ontario market officially opened for business in 2021.
The campaign will spotlight the good work done by the OLG, highlighting how the organisation's proceeds go directly back into initiatives that will help fund future athletes hoping to compete in the Olympic Games and other competitions.
Of course, the sponsorship has also met with some pushback, with critics questioning why the Olympic Committee is partnering up with a gambling brand. Of course, these criticisms have been met with responses highlighting the OLG’s good work for Ontario.
Enabling the Athletes of the Future
Much of the talk around the sponsorship focused on the hard work done by the OLG to stimulate growth and to give money back. Maxine Chapman, VP Brand & Marketing Officer at OLG said that “Many people don't realize 100 per cent of OLG's profits are reinvested into Ontario, and that we have a longstanding history of supporting amateur athletes,”.
Chapman continued, “OLG’s ability to give back to communities is only possible thanks to our players, so we wanted to use this opportunity to recognize and celebrate them.” OLG’s contributions to the Quest for Gold program have been specifically highlighted.
The sponsorship campaign also features several Team Canada athletes, including Andre De Grasse, Penny Oleksiak, Maggie Mac Neil, and Jillian Weir. These athletes have all benefitted from OLG’s programs and have spoken about it ahead of the games.
De Grasse, one of Canada’s most successful modern Olympians, with six golds to his name, said “Having programs like Quest for Gold to help and knowing your community is supporting you makes all the difference, especially when you’re competing on the world stage.” This has been reflected in the success of Quest for Gold, with funding helping 90% of the Ontario medalists at the last four Olympics.
