BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 1, 2023
Dear Editor,
I’ll assume that many Belizeans are seeing substantial savings in their pockets since the suspension of the Boledo a few weeks ago. I want to commend the government for taking action to nationalize the Boledo game. Looking back, privatizing this game was an atrocity. I’m still amazed that there was not a widespread protest across this country.
The Boledo lottery game has been a tradition in Belizean culture for donkey’s years. It is estimated that the Boledo lottery, originally operated by the government, could generate as much as 50 million dollars annually. The last administration privatized this income earner into their cronies’ hands for 10 years, and in the middle of a pandemic, when the economy was in shambles, they decided to renew the contract for the Boledo to their same lackeys for another 10 years. Incredible!
Before this new government moved to take control of the Boledo, they were only collecting tax on it, which was a measly 4 million dollars annually. The Boledo game is played by almost everybody in Belize, rich and poor alike, and it goes a long way for those who try to stay afloat financially. If you are lucky to win a dollar’s worth of Boledo during the week, you get $70.00; but if you lose, 15 cents goes toward tax and the balance goes to a private business offshore. And we all know that losing is inevitable when you gamble. We lose much more than we win.
Where were the unions when this solid punch was inflicted on the people of Belize? With millions of dollars added to government’s coffers much more could be done to alleviate the pain and suffering of the Belizean people. Let’s hope that this government does not return this lucrative business to private hands. Maybe we should insist that the revenue collected from the Boledo goes to empowering our children through education and sports. Just a thought.
Respectfully submitted,
J. Alvarez