The interim director of the National Lottery, Teófilo (Quico) Tabar, says that the National Lottery has been carrying out 13 or 14 weekly drawings with millions in prizes that are not their own. Tabar said the National Lottery should not be carrying out these raffles.
Tabar is a long-time government officer known for his honesty during his tenure in major government entities. President Luis Abinader appointed Tabar to find out what is going on at the state lottery and make recommendations.
Tabar was sent to the National Lottery to untangle what is going on there after reports that the draws were fixed. In his first remarks on what he is finding, Tabar informed that there are many problems at the National Lottery. He said the institution that in the past had carried out weekly lotteries today gets most of its direct income from the extraordinary drawings.
According to Tabar, the National Lottery only carries out a biweekly drawing and one or two extraordinary drawings per year, such as the one to be held next Sunday, 30 May 2021, for Mothers’ Day.
He also pointed out that there are around 100,000 non-regularized betting shops and only 30,370 legal private lottery outlets in the country.
He said drastic measures need to be taken to restore transparency, trust and credibility to the state lottery.
During the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) administrations, private lottery outlets boomed and new ones continue to open in the present government. In the same manner, many legislators are known to have ties to private betting organizations.
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El Nuevo Diario
24 May 2021