00:00With the legal lotto operators offering higher returns per dollar and no tax on
00:05winnings, electronic lotto agents say their profits have seen a drastic
00:09decrease over the past few years. They have cut in into not only LNCB profit
00:17but the legal operators profit. Our sales have dropped by approximately 45%.
00:26However, Elad alleges that some lotto operators are doing exceptionally well
00:31by operating as so-called double agents in cahoots with the illegal operators.
00:55Elad further explains that while legit operators are supposed to enforce betting limits,
01:16these so-called double agents take massive bets from the illegal operators
01:21as they allegedly have protection from the authorities.
01:26Elad further notes that back in 2019, then Police Commissioner Gary Griffith put together
01:51a squad to deal specifically with the illegal operators but the association says it didn't last
01:58very long. We met with them, we outlined everything they knew, they knew the locations
02:04of all the illegal players, they told us what strategies they were going to use.
02:09It was well thought out, that plan was well thought out. They even brought in the electrical
02:14inspectors, they brought in standards, they brought in health. When they go on a raid,
02:22they carry all these people, they say if the car catches you on one thing, they'll catch you on
02:26something else. Nothing, they made one or two raids. If they made three raids, they made plenty.
02:34And then I saw something on the papers, they said that people are tipping off these
02:39these these illegal operators, whenever they go by them, they close up and think they already
02:46get it. But it's a whole, it's a systematic thing, you know. This thing goes more than
02:53police and things, this goes straight to the top. Elad is renewing its call for a forensic
02:59investigation into the NLCB. How many board members, I'm asking a question, are there board
03:05members whose family, close family own machine? Is there a board member who owns machine?
03:12Contacted for a comment, NLCB Chairman Eustace Nancis refused to respond to the allegations,
03:19but he said the solution to the problems lies in greater enforcement and operationalization
03:25of legislation. We need to look at the legislation, we need to look at the act,
03:31all right, and because there is illegal gambling in Trinidad and Tobago, which is also next to
03:37the NLCB board, and we need to enforce the law, the law needs to be enforced, all right. The penalties
03:45that the illegal gamble booths carry is pretty small, so government needs to look at
03:56harsher penalties, tougher penalties, harder way to deal with the measures that is before us,
04:02and therefore to make it a little more difficult. Yes, there is illegal among us,
04:09all right, but we need to make sure that we enforce the law. Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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