Selling of Boledo and Sunday Lottery Resumed Today
Today, for the first time in months, Boledo and lottery enthusiasts returned to their lottery counters to purchase their favourite numbers for the first draw since the games were put on hold back in April, when Brad’s Gaming Company’s contract was cancelled. In November, the government named MGM Entertainment Ltd., and Nando’s Wholesale LLP as the two companies that will manage the games. MGM’s principals are Jian He Chen and Amy Chen, while Nando’s principals are Jitendra Nandwani, Ishwarlal Nandwani, and Nandlal Nandwani. MGM will be the distributors for lottery in the Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo, Stann Creek and Toledo districts, while Nando’s will be for Belize District, Caye Caulker and San Pedro. Today News Five checked in with one of the sub-agents or boledo sellers, Joe Chau from the popular 88 Shopping Plaza on how his boledo clients have been buying since morning. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
On Sunday morning, Boledo and Sunday lottery enthusiasts will re-engage in the games of chance that they have been unable to play since April. Since morning, boledo buyers have been able to purchase their favourite numbers at sales agents across the country. One of those agents, Joe Chau, owner of 88 Shopping Plaza told us it’s been slow so far, but buyers have all weekend until the first draw, the Sunday lottery.
Marion Ali
“You’ve had a lot of customers since morning? Uh, no, not yet.”
Joe Chau, Boledo sub-agent
Joe Chau
“Not so much. Maybe people don’t know yet, or just need a little bit more time.”
Marion Ali
“The ones that have come and bought, what’s the most popular number?”
Joe Chau
“Ah, there may be by 30, 0, 3, or some different card number. Usually people buy like maybe like 4488.”
There are four hundred sub-agents or resellers across Belize who will collect between eight and ten percent commission. But for Chau, there are concerns about the construct of the new lottery system that could affect that commission at the end of the day.
Joe Chau
“I find out once the ticket print out, either the customer give me the wrong number, or either we make mistake. And once the paper print out, they are not allow for edit or change or cancel it. Cannot change it. Once I find out, it will be a final sale. So sometimes I need to go show the customers, you have to take it, or we have to take the blame. So that’s a department right there. So, so whose loss is it or who takes on who, who pays for that number? That is a mistake. I don’t know what I can do with it because the customer, if they don’t want it, and if we have a take report, we make smart commission, right. This so that be the loss.”
Marion Ali
“Have you brought it to the attention of the Lottery Commission?”
Joe Chau
“Oh, yes, we draw their attention, but, they say maybe work on it in the future, but I don’t know yet.”
One lottery official we spoke with today suggested that boledo and lottery sellers could show the buyers the numbers on the machines to correct whatever potential errors before the tickets are printed. And despite the concerns, Chau said he believes the games will be as popular as they were in the past.
Joe Chau
“I think soon everybody will love that. Soon we got the Boledo back. People will love. Definitely we have a lead chance to win some money. Especially for the Christmas time.”
The government has said that the revenues earned from the games will be invested into the National Health Insurance, N.H.I, and in sports. Marion Ali reporting for News Five.
