As of next Tuesday, Brads will not be selling you Boledo. The government today announced that it has cancelled the exclusive license held by Brads Gaming Group.
The decision had long been foretold and it was made official on April 20th, when the Lotteries commission met and decided to revoke the license, quote, "due to material and substantial breaches of the conditions of the exclusive license, and the Lotteries Act and its regulations." End quote.
So, as of next week Tuesday May second, 2023 - right after the labour day holiday, Brads "is no longer licensed to sell or administer the Government Lotteries" which include Boledo, Jackpot and Ordinary Lotteries. Their last day selling will be Sunday's jackpot draw.
So, what happens after that? Well, Brads has a huge national network of dealers and machines - and that's not easy to replace, but - we are told - government has been quietly preparing its own system to slip in and take it over. Will it be seamless? We can't say for sure, but a government release says, quote, "The government will, in the near future, make alternative arrangements for the administration of the Government Lotteries while maintaining a standard that will guarantee that consumer rights are not violated."
We're told this new system will be run by the state, perhaps through a private contractor - but there is no clear indication yet. All we have is a government release which says, quote, "The Government of Belize remains committed to ensuring that, with the proper administration of the Government Lotteries, necessary income/revenues will be generated to fund the much-needed healthcare costs for Belizeans through the National Health Insurance." End quote.
So, what will Brads do? Well, they had 7 year left on their exclusive license and their attorney Dean Barrow this evening confirmed that the company will sue the government for wrongful termination of the contract. He says government surely has the right to cancel the license, but it must pay his client for its losses. Barrow expects to mount a judicial review challenge.
