Prime Minister unveils future strategy for Boledo; Plans to channel profits to national health insurance

By Breaking Belize News Staff: During yesterday’s house meeting, Prime Minister John Briceno offered an in-depth description of the forthcoming operations for the state-controlled Boledo Gaming Group Limited. He indicated that revenues generated from the Boledo lottery system would be channeled into funding the National Health Insurance (NHI).

In his statement, Briceno pointed to successful models employed by countries like Costa Rica and Canada where lottery profits are used for societal benefits. “It’s time for us in Belize to adopt a similar model, distributing the Belize Government Lotteries to benefit our citizens,” he said.

The new structure will see the establishment of a government-owned company, the Belize Government Lotteries Limited (B.G.L.L). All lottery profits will be used to support NHI and the official charities fund. This move will potentially enable increased funding for youth sports and education initiatives.

B.G.L.L. will be managed by a board of directors, setting corporate management and oversight policies. Day-to-day management will be executed by a managing director, backed by an IT specialist, financial controller administrator, customer service, marketing, and a quality assurance compliance manager. Four master agents, selected through a tendering process, will be authorized to distribute boledo, each representing a different region of the country.

An essential part of B.G.L.L.’s operation will be building a digital platform and establishing an extensive sales distribution network through these master agents. They will facilitate sales countrywide via sub-agents and electronic transactions. The second phase of digitalization will allow consumers to purchase lottery tickets through mobile phones, ensuring convenience and security.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the new structure aims to reestablish boledo as a truly Belizean entity, properly administered for the benefit of Belizeans. However, he did not specify a date for the resumption of boledo, leaving regular lottery participants eagerly waiting.

In an eye-opening revelation, Briceno compared sales figures reported under two years of the People’s United Party’s (PUP) rule to the preceding ten years under the United Democratic Party (UDP). He highlighted an increase in sales from $18.7 million to $43.8 million upon requesting information from Brad’s. This increase, he suggested, was due to the company fearing the loss of the contract if they didn’t comply with what was asked of them.

The PUP reported $125.6 million in sales, only $3 million less than the UDP reported over ten years. Briceno attributed this increase in reported sales to the PUP’s vigilance, resulting in revenues of $11.1 million to the government.

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