Dear Editor,

In response to the article ‘What’s good, one or more lottery companies?’, published by the Jamaica Observer on Sunday, March 8, 2020, I strongly believe that our tiny island home is unable to support more than one major lottery company.

News that at least five entities have applied for licences to run lottery games makes me wonder who will play all these games?

Who can afford to indulge in multiple gambles?

The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) ought to tread carefully, as history shows that jurisdictions with more than one lottery operators saw dramatic reductions in government revenue. Are we prepared to lose Supreme Ventures Limited and the large amounts of tax paid into government coffers annually? How about its other philanthropic contributions through the Supreme Ventures Foundation?

I doubt it.

The single-operator model is dominant in most countries, even in countries with much larger populations and stronger financial standings.

Supreme Ventures Limited, a publicly traded company, is by and large owned by thousands of Jamaicans. Reduced profit for the company means reduced returns for shareholders. To me, the fallout seems too great to risk.

The impending chaos, economic fallout, and reduction in funds to the consolidated fund, and on to organisations like the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports, and Education (CHASE) Fund seems much too large a risk to satisfy the greed and fascination of just a few.

Kaleb Khaleel

kalebkhaleel@yahoo.com