Operators say crime, logistics hinder Sunday NLCB draws

People line-up to play Lotto Plus at Xtra Foods, Arima. - File photo

ONLINE Gaming Agents Association of TT (OGAATT) president Dean Persad said while there has been no official confirmation from the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) that it will be implementing Sunday game draws for some national lottery games, agents have been approached by IGT lottery division, now Brightstar Lottery.

A notice began circulating on social media on January 14 which said, “In the exercise of the powers conferred on the Board of Directors ('the Board') by the National Lotteries Act, Chap. 21:04 ('the Act') and the regulations made thereunder, the Board has resolved in accordance with Regulation 3 to change the draw times of the following NLCB games to facilitate Sunday game draws with effect from Sunday February 8, 2026.

“Notice is hereby given in accordance with regulation 28 of the Act that the schedule of official draw times, which currently applies from Mondays to Saturdays (excluding non-gaming holidays), is hereby amended to include Sunday draws for the Online Lottery games listed below, effective 8th February, 2026.”

The document went on to list Sunday drawing times for Play Whe, Pick 2, Pick 4 and Cash Pot.

When contacted for verification, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, whose ministry is the line ministry for the NLCB, said via WhatsApp, “I am aware that NLCB was considering this initiative as part of its business expansion model.”

Newsday was unable to contact anyone at NLCB or Brightstar who could verify whether the document was real.

Speaking to Newsday by phone on January 14, Persad said Brightstar has been distributing the notice to some agents.

“We heard about it, just like everybody else, on social media. It is really unfortunate; the disrespect, the callousness, the exploitation and lack of consideration towards agents continues under this new regime. We really believe the association should be contacted, at least for its views, on anything affecting agents.”

He said the agents needed to know how the Sunday draws would affect them and whether opening on Sundays would be optional or mandatory.

“If it’s optional, whoever wants to work will open, who doesn’t want to work won’t open. If it’s mandatory, they’re looking at people who are opening and who are not opening and they’re penalising you. If it’s mandatory, you have to find people to work on the Sunday. The first four hours, according to labour laws, are double time, and the second four hours are triple time, so you’re looking at that kind of figure for sales that might not bring that position where you can pay for the labour and so on.

“Then you’re looking at the security risk involved. It’s a Sunday, bandits and criminals may be more prone to coming to hold you up and to do things. It’s a quieter day, you don’t have as many people on the road and bandits may use that window to target agents. Sunday is also not a good day for sales, especially after lunch, people are home with their families and so on.”

Online Gaming Agents Association of TT (OGAATT) president Dean Persad. -

Persad said normally the weekly settlement runs from Mondays to Saturdays, and most agents will check the machines on Sunday mornings to get the settlement figures and make deposits.

“If we open on a Sunday, how are we getting the figures, what will be the cutoff point? Nothing is explained. Again it boils down to a lack of communication and not knowing our concerns.”

Persad said the agents and the association were disappointed that the new board had not engaged them since being appointed on July 25, despite repeated attempts to meet with them, including one meeting which was cancelled the day after the date was set.

“We are disappointed and disheartened that we are not able to get a meeting, far less to get our issues addressed. We were really happy when the new board was installed and we were given promises by MPs that our issues would be attended to. We used to have meetings with the other board, even if they didn’t resolve our issues.

“I appealed to the Prime Minister and certain ministers were instructed to meet with us – that came from the PM herself, she emailed me a copy of the email to those ministers and they ignored her. One email was sent out on November 8 and another on November 24 to parties to meet with us, and they ignored her instructions, which I find was even more disrespectful than ignoring us.”

Persad said all the association wanted was respectful dialogue with NLCB and to have its concerns addressed.

“As far as we know, the new board knows nothing of the operations of the NLCB. We are the most important stakeholders in the whole organisation. We are the point people bringing in the money for the organisation, why not engage us and hear what we have to say?”