Ideal de Barros Penha, the biggest lotto player ever on the island, dissatisfied with the way the red cross manages the game here in Cape Verde.

Ideal de Barros Penha, the biggest lotto player ever on the island, dissatisfied with the way the red cross manages the game here in Cape Verde.

My question is the following: Does Cruz Vermelha have conditions to manage the game? Knowing that gambling has to be well managed, with transparency and within normality, but I think that the said entity is not fulfilling its obligations, this happens from the beginning, they never fulfilled the promises with their gamblers. It has been eleven (11) years and a few years since the Red Cross has deceived bettors about the computerization of the game, until then it has not been implemented. In 2009 I was passing through Cidade da Praia, Mr. Avelino Gonçalves, director responsible for the game, invited me to his office to exchange some ideas on how the games would be held from now on. He assured me that the equipment was already in the lotto sector, and that he hoped to overcome some small inconveniences, and that they would soon be ready, however it was all a lie, because 11 years have gone by and nothing has been done and the players from the other islands they are stunned watching the agencies in Praia and S.Vicente take first prizes annually.

Extraction at TCV: In my perspective, nothing has changed and that means that the mafia is not over, my doubt is after the extractions that there is a combination between the closest agencies, for example: The Praia and S. Vicente agencies that they always take the first prizes when they have a significant amount. The agencies on these islands are the ones that benefit the most from joker and lotto winnings and the supposed winners never appear. Also, how is it possible for the Red Cross to manage all this maneuver: It receives all the tickets from the agencies on all the islands, they extract the numbers, they are the same ones that check all the tickets after the extraction and divide all the prizes.

Which is incomprehensible to me because the bettor keeps the receipt and the Red Cross receives copies and matrices from the agencies and the agencies are left without any proof and I do not consider this form correct, the most correct would be another, more transparent form that leaves no doubt bettors: The bettors would keep the receipts, the copies would remain in the safe of the competent authorities on each island and the Red Cross would only keep the matrices, so that when a winner appears, it can prove it. As soon as mafia happens. A few years ago, after extracting the numbers, unplayed tickets were added with the prize numbers, so even bettors are still in doubt as long as the games are not computerized.

My concern is about the machine that extracts the lotto numbers, which at the beginning of the extraction at TCV used one similar to the joker one, suddenly changed for another one of euro million, knowing that bettors play lotto and not euro million.

In my opinion, I think that the government should not let the Red Cross manage these games in Cape Verde, knowing that the referred entity has left many negative marks during these years and it does not meet the conditions for the implementation of the new system.

It is not mandatory for gamblers to help the Red Cross, which already has its percentage and the government should privatize this type of game in Cape Verde, so there will be more control by the competent authorities and give Cezar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to of God, so Red Cross will have its percentage and the prizes go directly to those who deserve it. Cruz Vermelha compares the prizes to a basic basket.

And finally, I will ask all gamblers from Santo Antão to Brava that it is time to put an end to it and say ENOUGH, we are tired of false promises and disrespect on the part of the Red Cross CV and that each island can make a petition and send it to the rightful person.