O.W. policeman is big winner at Courts
It is the focal point of the most formidable marketing machine in Belize–not to mention dozens of other countries around the world. Every year Courts, the nation’s leading furniture and electronics retailer, runs a promotion that climaxes with one of its customers taking home a prize with a value on par with a medium size Lotto jackpot. This morning News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand for the latest edition of this ever-popular ritual.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today was not just any day for twenty-seven year old Octavian Victorin. Victorin, a police corporal stationed in Orange Walk, walked into Courts Belize Limited to win one of the three grand prizes: A twenty thousand shopping spree for a year, a new Mitsubishi pickup, or a trip to Cancun with ten thousand dollars cash!
Octavian Victorin, Courts Grand Prize Winner
“I felt nervous, excited. Thanks for the support of the people out here. I always make the first choice to be the vehicle.”
But to win his first choice, Victorin had to have the cooperation of lady luck. An equal number of notes for the three prizes were placed inside the Catch the Cash Booth. Victorin had no idea which ticket was for what prize…so all he could do was grab all he could and hope for the best.
Anamarie Bennett, Ads/Promotions Mgr., Courts Belize
“We wanted to keep along with the theme that went along for the whole year when they went in to catch as many notes as possible in the booth, and the amount that they came out with was the one that they won. So to have the same type of excitement, we decided to do that.”
Victorin had only one minute inside the booth. Although in the end he didn’t need to use all of his pockets, he did emerge with a handful of tickets.
It was now time to see just how many he grabbed and what prize he had won. The tickets, which were divided into options one, two and three were thoroughly tabulated.
Jacqueline Woods
“Things were pretty much tensed there for a while when they were counting the tickets for each option. What was going through your mind?”
Octavian Victorin
“I just wanted this to be the prize, but the rules of the raffle was told to me before, so really I did not know which one will be the prize.”
Anamarie Bennett
“Mr. Victorin, you caught for option one, forty-six notes. Option two, fifty-three notes, and option three is thirty-nine notes. The winning note is option two, the Mitsubishi. Congratulations.”
Jacqueline Woods
“When they announced that it was the pickup that you had won, you looked pretty shocked?”
Octavian Victorin
“Yes, I got what I wanted.”
Anamarie Bennett
“I’m glad that he got that one because when we called him he had said that was the prize he had wanted to win. So he got a 2000 Mitsubishi L200 pickup from JMA Motors, he’s going to get two hundred dollars worth of diesel per month for an entire year. The vehicle is duty paid, licensed for a year, insured for a year. So all he need is the keys which I still have.”
Victorin, who until now never owned a motor vehicle, travelled to Belize City by bus to play the game. Unfortunately, our winner could not drive back to Orange Walk, as he does not posses a valid drivers’ license. But by Monday, Victorin will at least have all the necessary papers in hand to learn to drive his sixty thousand dollar prize. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
If you were not lucky in the 2002 Courts Catch the Cash Draw, customers are advised that the store is getting ready to launch its 2003 Game: Courts Mega Bucks. In that raffle, the winners will have to spin a wheel to earn their fortune. The first whirl of the wheel takes place on February third.
