Bombers Under Investigation for 50-50 Fiasco

[Dragon37]

Sounds like an error that anyone could make. I have to wonder why the winner saw the number at the game just didn't go to the bomber office and verify it there rather than the website. Sure they should have checked and double-checked the number before posting but transcription errors happen. They caught it and are dealing with the problem and that is all they or any organization can do.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Sounds like an error that anyone could make. I have to wonder why the winner saw the number at the game just didn't go to the bomber office and verify it there rather than the website. Sure they should have checked and double-checked the number before posting but transcription errors happen. They caught it and are dealing with the problem and that is all they or any organization can do.

 

According to the guy he called the Bomber office and was told that the number on the site was correct.  Clearly at some point they checked after it went unclaimed, made the correction to the website without attempting to contact the winner who had apparently called them.  You would think they would manage the situation a little more carefully.  The initial mistake is one thing, how they handled it is what is going to get them in **** with lotteries.

[Jacquie]

Did the guy leave his name and phone number when he called. If not, how were they supposed to get in touch with him?

[mikey d]

The biggest problem is the failure to acknowledge the wrong number was posted online. Then they were in the press about the prize not being claimed nearly every day after, again without acknowledgement of their error. Comes across as really shady and untrustworthy, especially for a community owned team. Add in the fact there was a previous jackpot unclaimed and it really looks bad.

[Jacquie]

The biggest problem is the failure to acknowledge the wrong number was posted online. Then they were in the press about the prize not being claimed nearly every day after, again without acknowledgement of their error. Comes across as really shady and untrustworthy, especially for a community owned team. Add in the fact there was a previous jackpot unclaimed and it really looks bad.

 

If you read the previous posts in the thread it was already stated that the other draw was not unclaimed. The person with the winning ticket was ineligible to collect the prize.

[Jpan85]

If I thought I won or was close I would take a picture of the number on the screen. which was correct.

[The Unknown Poster]

You'd take a picture of the number on what screen? The jumbo tron? Why?

The winner did nothing wrong whatsoever. The Bombers appeared to not want anyone to know their mistake. When they realized the mistake especially after the winner had called, they should have alerted media to the error. It's possible the winner would never have triple checked and assumed he wasn't the winner.

If I buy Lotto Max I don't go down to WCLC HQ to check the numbers.

[ALuCsRED]

You'd take a picture of the number on what screen? The jumbo tron? Why?

The winner did nothing wrong whatsoever. The Bombers appeared to not want anyone to know their mistake. When they realized the mistake especially after the winner had called, they should have alerted media to the error. It's possible the winner would never have triple checked and assumed he wasn't the winner.

If I buy Lotto Max I don't go down to WCLC HQ to check the numbers.

 

 

When I lived in Edmonton and had Eskies season tickets, the 50/50 was drawn, and you had to claim within 5 minutes.  If the winner didn't, they would redraw at the same game.

[Esks1975]

What is the normal procedure at Bombers games for collecting the 50/50 win? At Commonwealth they would say to go the Media centre at the west concourse to claim your prize. They also only display the amount that the winner is going to collect on the board. During the game I thought someone was going to win over $350,000 until they announced the number and the prize amount.

 

50/50s have really evolved over the last few years.

 

^I think it was ten minutes.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Did the guy leave his name and phone number when he called. If not, how were they supposed to get in touch with him?

Even if he didn't, they could have put out a release asking him to call back, or simply put out a media release saying that the original number posted online was incorrect.

Communication doesn't seem to be a strong point within the organization or with the public, even though they employ more communications people than personnel/scouts.

[Dragon37]

Sounds like an error that anyone could make. I have to wonder why the winner saw the number at the game just didn't go to the bomber office and verify it there rather than the website. Sure they should have checked and double-checked the number before posting but transcription errors happen. They caught it and are dealing with the problem and that is all they or any organization can do.

 

According to the guy he called the Bomber office and was told that the number on the site was correct.  Clearly at some point they checked after it went unclaimed, made the correction to the website without attempting to contact the winner who had apparently called them.  You would think they would manage the situation a little more carefully.  The initial mistake is one thing, how they handled it is what is going to get them in **** with lotteries.

Clearly mistakes were made on both sides. I just think people are blowing this way out of proportion. They have run many more successful draws than not. While an investigation is necessary it will not prevent future mistakes from being made. It is a human run enterprise and humans make mistakes. How we learn from and deal with them is the important thing. There is no perfect human designed system.

[DR. CFL]

All true but we are dealing with Lotteries. There perception will dictate the future of any Bomber lotteries.

[JuranBoldenRules]

 

 

Sounds like an error that anyone could make. I have to wonder why the winner saw the number at the game just didn't go to the bomber office and verify it there rather than the website. Sure they should have checked and double-checked the number before posting but transcription errors happen. They caught it and are dealing with the problem and that is all they or any organization can do.

 

According to the guy he called the Bomber office and was told that the number on the site was correct.  Clearly at some point they checked after it went unclaimed, made the correction to the website without attempting to contact the winner who had apparently called them.  You would think they would manage the situation a little more carefully.  The initial mistake is one thing, how they handled it is what is going to get them in **** with lotteries.

Clearly mistakes were made on both sides. I just think people are blowing this way out of proportion. They have run many more successful draws than not. While an investigation is necessary it will not prevent future mistakes from being made. It is a human run enterprise and humans make mistakes. How we learn from and deal with them is the important thing. There is no perfect human designed system.

 

 

The standard for lotteries is high, and rightfully so given how easy it would be for some shenanigans to happen to benefit an individual or the Football Club.

 

This one defies even common sense.  Given the amount of media the Bombers do, and people they have working on just that, they couldn't announce on CJOB, on their website etc that they goofed up typing the number on the website and the correct number was now up?  The sneaky stuff is what will do them in, not the mistake.

[blitzmore]

Nothing will do them in this case...it will all be fine.

[The Unknown Poster]

if mistakes were made on both sides...what mistakes did the winner make?  He believed the Bombers after 2 or 3 attempts to confirm the winning number? 

[Goalie]

From my understanding, the wrong number was posted on the website for 1 day... Not saying that is ok but they obviously noticed the mistake pretty quickly. Yeah the person posting it should have double or even triple checked to make sure but... sometimes mistakes happen. That's all this was. In the end tho, the winner got his money and that's all that really matters. 

[basslicker]

Man, I wish the bombers were doing these screw ups on purpose. At least they'd be sly and coniving. .....instead of inept and idiotic.

We truly have become the joke of the CFL. And there is not reason to be excited for next year

Whaaaaaahhhh!

Soooo......we're NOT a joke?

I guess getting a 'participant' trophy is good enough for you, because the team tried their best? Or maybe you can comment on the awesome handling of the new stadium was , or maybe how we have one winning season since 2008?

Oh brother... I stand by my original statement. Take your ball and go home.

You're right, I'm sorry. The bombers are the model of a great franchise.

The Patriots and packers could learn from us.

[The Unknown Poster]

From my understanding, the wrong number was posted on the website for 1 day... Not saying that is ok but they obviously noticed the mistake pretty quickly. Yeah the person posting it should have double or even triple checked to make sure but... sometimes mistakes happen. That's all this was. In the end tho, the winner got his money and that's all that really matters. 

I would say checking the website and calling the office and in both cases being told he did not have the winning ticket was sufficient on the part of the winner.  How many times do you check your lotto ticket numbers?  I scan them and when it says I didnt win, I throw it away.  I dont keep checking repeatedly in case there is a mistake.

 

The Bombers should have absolutely informed the public there had been an error so anyone who might have checked their ticket, should check it again.  Bombers pretty clearly hoped no one would notice and the public would be non the wiser.

[blitzmore]

 

From my understanding, the wrong number was posted on the website for 1 day... Not saying that is ok but they obviously noticed the mistake pretty quickly. Yeah the person posting it should have double or even triple checked to make sure but... sometimes mistakes happen. That's all this was. In the end tho, the winner got his money and that's all that really matters. 

I would say checking the website and calling the office and in both cases being told he did not have the winning ticket was sufficient on the part of the winner.  How many times do you check your lotto ticket numbers?  I scan them and when it says I didnt win, I throw it away.  I dont keep checking repeatedly in case there is a mistake.

 

The Bombers should have absolutely informed the public there had been an error so anyone who might have checked their ticket, should check it again.  Bombers pretty clearly hoped no one would notice and the public would be non the wiser.

 

You don't know what they hoped or didn't. You're just trying to promote the fact that it was a conspiracy all along.

[The Unknown Poster]

 

 

From my understanding, the wrong number was posted on the website for 1 day... Not saying that is ok but they obviously noticed the mistake pretty quickly. Yeah the person posting it should have double or even triple checked to make sure but... sometimes mistakes happen. That's all this was. In the end tho, the winner got his money and that's all that really matters. 

I would say checking the website and calling the office and in both cases being told he did not have the winning ticket was sufficient on the part of the winner.  How many times do you check your lotto ticket numbers?  I scan them and when it says I didnt win, I throw it away.  I dont keep checking repeatedly in case there is a mistake.

 

The Bombers should have absolutely informed the public there had been an error so anyone who might have checked their ticket, should check it again.  Bombers pretty clearly hoped no one would notice and the public would be non the wiser.

 

You don't know what they hoped or didn't. You're just trying to promote the fact that it was a conspiracy all along.

 

No, Im using common sense.  Perhaps they were just stupid.  Those are the two choices.  When they caught the error and fixed it on the website, they were either stupid in not informing the public or they maliciously chose not to inform the public in hopes no one would notice their mistake.  The fact they went full media with the whole "no one has claimed it yet" but didnt inform the media that they had actually had the wrong number posted leads me to believe the likelihood was they knew they goofed.

 

There is some difference of opinion about the phone call.  I recall Bombers said they were unaware of a phone call to confirm the number. 

 

Either way, when talking about a lottery, its good to have an "investigation" to ensure proper protocols are followed.  The circumstances are moot now.  They will be more careful in the future.

[Rich]

Another (likely in my opinion) possibility is that whoever messed up on the website fixed it and never escalated the fact to anyone else as they didn't want to get in trouble or didn't realize the full impact of what it might have meant.

[The Unknown Poster]

Another (likely in my opinion) possibility is that whoever messed up on the website fixed it and never escalated the fact to anyone else as they didn't want to get in trouble or didn't realize the full impact of what it might have meant.

Yes that's true too.  And if so, someone should be in trouble.  I sort of imagine a scenario where whomever took the phone call from the winner and checked his ticket did so against the website.  And then after the call decided to double check and caught the error and then fixed the website and said to their boss "soooo...weird how no one has claimed the money, eh?" 

[WBBFanWest]

Another (likely in my opinion) possibility is that whoever messed up on the website fixed it and never escalated the fact to anyone else as they didn't want to get in trouble or didn't realize the full impact of what it might have meant.

Rich, if that is the case, that may say something very serious about the organization as a whole.  It's one thing for an employee to make a mistake, even a seemingly dumb one, it happens.  Good organizations will try and make people feel that mistakes can happen, but when they do, it needs to get reported and corrected.  Essentially, that making a mistake is not the end of the world.  But it is entirely a different story when an employee makes a mistake and then believes that the best course of action is to quietly fix it, not tell anyone and hope that everything will just work itself out.   

 

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

[The Unknown Poster]

While its possible it was an innocent mistake that doesnt excuse the Bombers' from responsibility.  They told this guy twice that his ticket was wrong.  He checked two different ways (website and phone call).  If any of us threw away $178,000 over and "innocent mistake" we'd be furious.  Imagine if this story was different and the headline was "50-50 Winner Discards Ticket Over Bombers Error, Cant Claim Prize".  What then...?

[Rich]

 

Another (likely in my opinion) possibility is that whoever messed up on the website fixed it and never escalated the fact to anyone else as they didn't want to get in trouble or didn't realize the full impact of what it might have meant.

Rich, if that is the case, that may say something very serious about the organization as a whole. It's one thing for an employee to make a mistake, even a seemingly dumb one, it happens. Good organizations will try and make people feel that mistakes can happen, but when they do, it needs to get reported and corrected. Essentially, that making a mistake is not the end of the world. But it is entirely a different story when an employee makes a mistake and then believes that the best course of action is to quietly fix it, not tell anyone and hope that everything will just work itself out.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Serious about the organization or one specific employee? As I said it is possible a single employee fixed it and didn't even think of the ramifications.

Either way, pure speculation on my part.

I've worked with many different organizations over the years and it still surprises me how little employees know how their specific job fits into the larger picture or how their mistakes may impact something else.

I find it hard to believe the organization messed this up on purpose or purposefully tried to mislead the public, especially when they announced the pot had gone unclaimed.

The likely answer is someone put it up, noticed it was wrong and fixed it. And they would have no clue if someone had phoned to inquire.

Thank God in the end it just all worked out and hopefully it has been a lesson for their internal controls on this.