1. Concerning Hand’s allegation about ties to the mafia, what Hand said was that Tremblay was “in business with” Frank Martorana, who’s a convicted mafioso. In reality, it was Martorana’s wife that Tremblay was in business with, managing a Japanese restaurant. It’s technically false, and combined with the implication (that Tremblay was willingly part of the mafia) it gives Tremblay a leg to stand on.

2. One thing you learn quickly in journalism school is that quoting a libellous statement can be itself libellous. Putting quotation marks around a statement doesn’t make you immune from prosecution. Of course, the reason the Loto-Quebec press release is still online after a confidential settlement is a legitimate question to ask. It may be a simple oversight on Loto-Quebec’s part, or it might be there’s something else to the story.