Has Bet Salone Gone Cash-Strapped?
By Edwina Sia Janga
Investigations mounted by a team of journalists and Civil Society Activists have revealed that all is not well at the lottery betting company, Bet Salone, as the company is struggling to pay its winners, often leading to these winners taking the matter to the CID and the media for their intervention to facilitate their payment of their winning.
A recent matter was brought to the attention of the media and VSOs, where three winners of a draw on 21st October were not paid, as the company had put on hold their payment in the name of investigating to validate their claims. During our investigation, it was revealed that the winning tickets 88, 78 were winning numbers in the said draw, but the company felt that there was foul play, and suspended payment of the winners. But after investigations done by the company, no evidence was discovered to warrant any cancellation of the said winning. According to the operations manager at Bet Salone, after thorough investigation, they found nothing fishy in the winning and he has recommended that the winners be paid. This was communicated to the press and CSOs, as well as the police and the winners.
Surprisingly, on Monday 7th November, the date scheduled by the company’s General Manager to pay the winners in the presence of the CID and the media, the company decided to postpone the payment to Wednesday 9th November 2022. On the aforementioned second date for the payment, the company paid only Le20 million out of a total of Le80 million. The GM further made an undertaking in the presence of the CID that the payment will be made in three installments (documentary evidence held), based on the in-flow of cash into the company. This arrangement has raised serious concerns over the liquidity of the company and its ability to meet its financial obligations to its customers, who play its lottery on a daily basis.
As we go to press, several other winners are also clamoring for the payment of their winning from the company. It was learnt that several winners stormed the Circular Road offices of the company demanding payment for their winning to no avail. One concerned player, in an angry mood said that when players play the Mercury International’s betting game, they are paid their respective winning, less the statutory tax of the government, and there has been no problem to get their payment, and payments have not been deferred by Mercury since it started operations in the country. This has raised serious concerns over the ability of Bet Salone to carry out such a business in the country. Though the company claims that it is paying its winners their winning, the question is why they have not been able to pay those who have won now, and why are they now paying by installments the winners? Many concerned citizens are calling on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the liquidity of Bet Salone to prevent Sierra Leoneans being deprived of their winnings.
