AFTER nine weeks and nine cars, Peter Heppell has handed over the reins of Raffprom Limited, operator of the new betting game ‘Win Dem Wheelz’, which offers a new Honda or Volkswagen motor car to a lucky punter for a ticket worth $100.

Raffprom has been partnering with both Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), which sells the raffle tickets through its network of lottery terminals, offering the chance to a lucky punter each week to win either a Volkswagen Jetta or Honda motor car from ATL Automotive Ltd (ATL), the other partner, per week since the game started on November 22.

Heppell felt he could keep the game going at least for the first 12 months, after which he could decide whether to continue with it or not. However, nine weeks of losses has forced him to turn over the company to fabric giant LP Azar which is currently in a very aggressive expansion mode with managing director Andrew Azar at the helm.

Azar says that Raffprom will become the latest addition to the expanding LP Azar Ltd, which has grown into a conglomerate including such diverse acquisitions as fabric house Pablo’s; Somerset Falls; the real estate firm CD Alexander; and the Tutti Frutti yogurt franchise, since 2013.

Heppell, an interior designer who was born in London but is married to a Jamaican, has been living in and out of the country for the past 20 years.

He insists that he did not see the venture only from a profit angle nor was he interested in promoting gambling in Jamaica , but he instead got a personal kick from seeing Jamaicans without cars finally owning one.

“I don’t gamble. I have never gambled in my life,” he confessed, noting that he came up with the idea about two years ago.

“What prompted me was frequenting the rum bars and seeing what Jamaicans spend on gambling. What they spend when they buy ‘one/one’ cigarette. Just general marketing. I came up with the idea and everybody thought I was mad. Some people probably still do,” Heppell explained.

He sought Azar’s help in getting started and teamed with SVL and ATL in pursuit of the dream, then worked with the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission to get it started in November.

“To me, apart from a business, the pleasure of seeing somebody win something is fantastic, and we have been kind of lucky so far in that, apart from one person, the first eight winners really needed a car,” he said.

But, he soon learnt that companies are not really charities so ‘Win Dem Wheelz’ needed to start making a profit early to survive.

“I think that is because of a lack of marketing and the credibility issue, because Jamaicans are still skeptical about winning a $3-$4 million motor car with a $100 ticket,” he added. So after just two months he decided to allow the company to become the newest addition to the growing LP Azar group.

The more adventurous Azar, who is also the deputy chairman of Caymanas Track Limited, immediately restructured the operation and has introduced a few new ideas aimed at turning around its fortunes.

He says that, starting this week, winners will be able to choose from a wider variety of vehicles. However, not all the cars will be brand new. They can choose from a 2013 Honda Fit, Mazda Demio, Nissan Note or Suzuki Swift, as well as a 2015 Hyundai through an expanded deal which includes ATL Automotive, Hyundai and car retailer Carland.

“What we are doing is a part of the marketing strategy. We are giving the winner a wider choice, where you can pick any one of the cars, or you can do a deal with the dealer on the spot and get cash, because a lot of people prefer the cash,” Azar said.

“Right now the company is losing. Everybody has said, why only a bills ($100), you can’t make money off that. Well, that’s to be seen. Right now we are not making money, but we want to keep it so that the littlest man can find $100 and have a chance to win a car,” Azar stated.

However, Azar says he is not satisfied in offering a game which only offers a relatively new motor car, so he has singled out the “corner youth” as his next target.

“If two of them can come together and buy a ticket for the car for $100 and hope to win and share the car, now two of them can come together with $50 each and win two bikes for the same $100. The two bikes cost approximately $650,000 and they can each have a bike. This promotion is aimed at the corner youth,” Azar insisted.

Azar says that the experiment will last “until the money runs out”, but he is hoping that with the new features he will be able to attract more Jamaicans to the game and increase the revenues.

“As long as we make money we will continue. I have learnt a lot from Caymanas Park and we will be giving away some promotional bikes, as well: One to the KPH next month and another for a police station which is without a bike, because we intend to be good corporate citizens in the process as well,” he pointed out.