Yesterday's jackpot drawing was the last for Brad's Gaming and the usually reserved company sent out a farewell release today.
It says, quote, "Brads was licensed to manage the Government Lotteries after an open and transparent tendering process sanctioned because of the previous extreme loss of revenue to the Government.
Not once has any Government complained about the revenue stream received which was over $4 million dollars per year plus profit-sharing. The financial performance of the company has been audited annually by public accounting firm Baker Tilly Hulse and those audited financials are in turn submitted to the Government of Belize so any talk of the company not being transparent with its finances is inaccurate." End quote.
So, what happened next? No one knows who will take over the boledo or when. Brads laments, quote, "The Boledo lottery has operated in Belize for the past 75 years without interruption. The fact that the current Government has by choice indefinitely stopped a historical and cultural pastime of the Belizean people and deprived taxpayers of millions of dollars in fees and taxes because they do not have a transition plan in place, speaks to their true motivation and level of political vendetta. In addition....sellers, lottery agents and those who benefitted often from winnings will all be deprived of their incomes."
The release concludes saying, quote, "Brads will not go to Court to get back its licence but will pursue other remedies it may be entitled to."
