NLCB claims it is losing million$

By NALINEE SEELAL, Newsday/TT

The National Lotteries Control Board is calling for a crackdown on bush whe whe games that are taking away more than $50 million from the NLCB Play Whe operations.

Bush whe whe is the illegal gambling game that is played throughout the rural areas of Trinidad and Tobago.

Play Whe which is now operated by the NLCB grew out of the bush whe whe which remains illegal.

In January, the NLCB wrote to Police Commissioner Hilton Guy and National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee, expressing concern about the ongoing challenge and threats to legalised gaming caused by the operations of illegal “bush” whe whe bankers.

The NLCB estimates that Government stands to lose $50 million annually if nothing is done to stop the illegal bush whe whe.

However, the bush whe whe bankers have a champion in Senior Counsel Theodore Guerra, who since 1998 has been calling for them to be given licences so that they can operate in a proper way.

In 1998, Guerra, a former NAR Member of Parliament representing Port-of-Spain South, called for those persons involved in illegal whe whe to be issued with licences so that they could be able to carry out their work without fear of being arrested.

He made that call in Parliament and received a great deal of support from fellow members.

His government did not accept his proposal.

Yesterday, Guerra told Newsday that he is still of the view that those persons involved in bush whe whe should be given licences .

He added that whe whe is an industry which started among poor people and became a thriving business, “and just so you suddenly take away their livelihood and restricted it to a few,” said Guerra.

In her letter to Commissioner Guy, the Ag Director of the NLCB, Phyllis Alfred, claimed that the impact of such activities is reflected in the Board’s declining revenues and the periodic promotions designed in part to compete with the bush whe/whe bankers’ prowess have lost their effectiveness.

She added that, “a conservative estimate of the loss which will be suffered by increasing the NLCB payout of $24:1 to their $30:1 would be in excess of $50 million annually, which would curtail Government’s revenue drastically.

Yesterday, ACP Crime Oswyn Allard said that he received the letter from the NLCB, and added that he sent that correspondence to all police divisions asking that surveillance work be instituted, and that an islandwide crackdown on all illegal whe whe turfs be carried out.

He said that the areas where the most illegal whe whe turfs are located are San Juan, Moruga and mainly rural areas.

He said that based on information gathering, some former police officers are part of the illegal whe whe operations and they control more than one turf.

Marketing and Public Relations Officer of the NLCB Devant Maharaj said yesterday that the Lottery Board had received complaints from a few agents about sales being affected.

As a result of those concerns, the NLCB wrote to Police Commissioner Guy and the Minister of National Security alerting them of the concerns of agents.

He added that there are 600 legalised Play Whe agents in Trinidad and Tobago.

Maharaj pointed out that while some people feel that the Play Whe game is rigged, this is not so.

He added that the strictest security procedures are applied, and the balls are weighed on a regular basis to ensure that the fullest integrity is maintained.

He added that these measures are taken to ensure that the public’s interest is protected.

Under the Gambling and Betting Act, Chapter 11:19 any member of the public found to be engaging in illegal gambling in whe whe is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $3,000 or face 12 months in prison.

A whe whe banker of San Juan told Newsday yesterday that he is convinced that the Play Whe is rigged.

He added that this is based on the number of times some numbers are played while other numbers are hardly ever played.

He said that whe whe is like prostitution, a trade which will continue despite any crackdown by the police.

He added that many people rely on bush whe whe to win because they are paid more money and some bankers “buss” their own marks and do not necessary follow the Play Whe draws.

Newsday learned that the numbers most played are 6 and 30.

Those two marks played 163 times since the Play Whe was introduced; 17 and 26 played 162 times while 31 and 32 played 160 times.

The Play Whe was launched on July 4, 1994.

The least played was 23 which was only drawn 124 times.

The number 30 played 42 times on a Saturday