Quest For Gold Lottery Fundraiser

Quest for Gold instant win lottery
Since 2006, the Quest for Gold instant win lottery program has provided over $53,000,000 to support more than 8,000 ontario based high-performance athletes and coaches.

The goals of the program are to provide additional support to athletes from Ontario and to increase the performance and number of Ontario athletes competing at the highest national and international levels. The main objective of this fundraising initiative is to the improve the performance of Canada at international competitions. Another aim of the program is to help compensate athletes who pursue excellence in sport while living and training in Ontario. The funds are used to offset lost earnings while training and fullfilling educational goals.

The proceeds from Quest for gold lottery, approximately $10 million annually, are administered by the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport to support athletes all across Ontario. Seventy per cent of proceeds go directly to athletes in the form of direct financial assistance, while the remaining 30 per cent supports enhanced coaching and provides enhanced competitive and training opportunities to athletes in amateur sport.

How the funds are utilized:
1. Direct Financial Assistance to Athletes
Canada Card – For Ontario athletes who are carded by Sport Canada. The Canada Card provides up to an additional 33% in direct financial assistance over and above what an athlete is receiving from Sport Canada – dependant on funding available.

Ontario Card – For Ontario junior age athletes aspiring to compete at the highest levels of national and international competition. These athletes are nominated for carding status by their Provincial Sport/ Multi-Sport Organizations.

Sport eligibility

Sixty-four Provincial Sport/ Multi-Sport Organizations (PSO/MSO), recognized by the Ministry of Health Promotion’s Sport Recognition Policy, are eligible to receive cards for distribution under the direct financial assistance funding stream. They must also meet minimum high performance program requirements and be participants in the regular program of one of the following three multi-sport Games:
* The 2006 Olympic/Paralympic Winter Games, 2008 Olympic/Paralympic Summer Games, 2010 Olympic/Paralympic Winter Games;
* 2007 Canada Winter Games and the 2009 Canada Summer Games; or

In the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, India, 40 of the 69 Ontario athletes who competed with Team Canada received QUEST FOR GOLD funding. Of the 21 medals won by Ontario athletes, 14 were won by QUEST FOR GOLD-funded athletes. OLG is committed to continuing support to assist Amateur Athletes in Ontario. This year's CROSSWORD-themed QUEST FOR GOLD game has an increased ticket order of 25 million tickets. This increases to 20 the number of $50,000 top prizes available to be won.
* Ontario Games (youth).

Athlete eligibility

An athlete must be a resident of Ontario for one year prior to his/her nomination for carding status and be a member of their Provincial/Multi Sport Organization (and/or their National Sport Organization. To qualify for funding, athletes must meet the following criteria:

* Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant;
* Be based in Ontario and involved in a continuous training program in the province (exceptions considered);
* Be a member in good standing with their PSO/MSO and NSO where applicable;
* Be committed to a proper training and competitive program;
* Have a coach that has been trained and certified in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) or equivalent; and
* Must not be under sanction as per the Canadian Anti-Doping Policy.

2. Enhanced Coaching Funding

The Enhanced Coaching funding stream provides Ontario athletes with increased access to better-qualified coaches. It provides more high performance coaching hours for provincial Canada Games level athletes and funds coach development initiatives.

3. Enhanced Training and Competitive Opportunities Funding

This funding stream provides money for enhanced training, services and competitive opportunities for junior age athletes. Funding is also used to enhance the Ontario Games Program and strengthen Team Ontario’s performance at the Canada Games by providing additional training opportunities and enhanced sport science services for athletes competing on provincial teams.

Specific objectives of the program are:

To help athletes continue their pursuit of athletic excellence at the highest levels of national and international competition;
To encourage athletes to stay in Ontario to live and train;
To compensate athletes for earnings lost while training;
To enable athletes to successfully pursue excellence in sport while fulfilling their educational goals;
To increase athlete access to high performance coaching; and
To enhance training and competitive opportunities available to athlete

Contact Information:
For more information contact your PSO/MSO or:
Scott Cooper
Sport and Recreation Consultant
Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport
416-314-7692
scott.cooper@ontario.ca

Everyone has a dream, and OLG is proud to continue to support Ontario athletes realize theirs.

The instant win game cards are available at licensed lottery retailers across Ontario.

Highlights
$20 per play.
Five $1 million top prizes.
Amazing odds of 1 in 3.
Proceeds support amateur athletes in Ontario.
The Quest for Gold Program is funded from net revenues generated by the Quest for Gold lottery, created by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) http://www.olgc.ca/