NDP Leader Howard Hampton says a McGuinty government cabinet minister should resign because he was asleep at the switch while working families got scammed out of tens of millions of winnings.

“Ordinary people have been cheated out of tens of millions of dollars because of the McGuinty government and its lax oversight of lotteries,” Hampton said. “David Caplan, the minister responsible, tells us: ‘Trust me. I'll clean up the mess.’ Why should we trust him when he was asleep at the switch while his lottery corporation ripped off hard-working families? And why should he keep his job when he has lost all credibility?”

Today, the Ombudsman ripped the lid off a lottery scandal: That unscrupulous lottery retailers have collected at least $100 million in fraudulent claims since 1999, defrauding thousands of everyday families of their lottery winnings.

Today in Question Period, Hampton demanded answers from Caplan about what he knew about the allegations and when he learned about him. The McGuinty cabinet minister refused to answer the questions.

“When people buy a lottery ticket, they expert a fair shake at their dreams. They are rightly concerned when they learn a supposed game of chance is really a huge con – and that they have been cheated out of millions of dollars,” Hampton said.

“David Caplan was a bump on a log while hard-working people got fleeced out of millions of dollars. Working families deserve better. Mr. Caplan has lost all credibility. He should resign,” the NDP Leader said.