I was curious about @PlayOLG, the new online way to play the lottery in Ontario, so I decided to register for an account to check it out. Have a look at the resulting Kafka-esque chat…
After registering online, Play OLG sent me a link to activate my account. But when I clicked the link, this is the error message I got:
So I clicked the “chat with us” link. Here’s the text of the chat, verbatim, except that identifying information has been redacted:
Francis: Hi, I understand you are experiencing an issue with your IP Address and apologize for the inconvenience.
This is due to a geo-filtering program that ensures anyone accessing the portal is located within the province of ON.
Francis: Can I please get your full name, and email address associated with your account?
BA: **********
Francis: Thank you. Can I also get your username and physical address on file?
BA: **********
Francis: Finally, to complete the verification process, I need to ask you one of your security questions.
Francis: What city/town were you born in?
BA: **********
Francis: Just to be sure, are you currently located at the address on file?
BA: No, I'm at my office.
Francis: Are you at work?
BA: Yes. I am self-employed and rent an office
Francis: Oh okay. Unfortunately, you won't be able to play since you are at work. You can only Play OLG at your physical address.
Francis: I'm sorry about that.
BA: Can I add a second address to my account?
Francis: It's because of your IP address. At the moment Play OLG does not have that option.
BA: So even though I am in Ontario right now, and my IP is in Ontario, you have a way of knowing what my IP "should be" at home, even though I don't have a static IP?
Francis: The IP address on file we have is the one when you first registered with us.
BA: But you know IP addresses constantly change, right? I won't have that IP at home for long
Francis: Okay. Did you want me to change the IP address for your office?
BA: Well, if you do, then it'll last for a day or two, and then it won't work. And I won't be able to log in from home. This is really Orwellian. Sorry, but that's why it's called a dynamic IP. They change.
BA: What do I do once the IP you have on file stops working? Do I then need to re‑register?
Francis: So your IP address is always changing?
Francis: You won't have to re-register. You would just need to update us with your new IP address
BA: Everyone's IP changes unless they purchase a static IP.
Francis: Who is your internet provider?
BA: Xplornet. But it doesn't matter. All ISPs change IPs unless you buy a static IP, that's simply the way it works.
Francis: Oh okay. Xplornet is a satellite based company. This is an unsupported type as the geo-filtering program cannot accurate determine player's location.
Francis: So you won't be able to play OLG.
Francis: I'm sorry about that.
BA: So, I can play it from work if I give you my Work IP and use my work address?
Francis: Okay, so you want to use your WORK IP address instead?
BA: I guess so. It's currently 209.***.**.**
Francis: Okay. Who is the internet provider there?
BA: I don't know. It's provided by the landlord.
Francis: Just to make sure ****** since you are at your own office. Do you have any work proxies on your laptop, because Play OLG also does not support work proxies.
BA: No. No proxies. The hostname is: **********
Francis: Okay. I need to know your internet provider so I can escalate this to my tech department. If you want I can E-mail you a template on what you need get this process completed.
BA: Francis, I thank you for all your help, but I don't want to spend my money that badly. I think I'll wait until OLG has worked out the bugs. Thanks.
Francis: Okay. I'm sorry about that **********.
Francis: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
