The get-rich-quick

Lotto fever hits the Cook Islands The get-rich-quick bug has struck

By Christine Hatcher

PUT IN a dollar, win a million hail lotto, the raffle ticket is dead.

Lotto fever, two years in coming, has finally arrived and looks set to be the biggest, most infections, totally incurable fun epidemic to hit the Cook Islands.

As part of a wider Pacific strategy already involving Norfolk and Christmas Islands, the Cook Islands, with a popu lation of 18,000 is the first sovereign country to have had the 120-year-old Australian Tattersalls Family Games installed outside the Australian territory.

John Hycenko, managing director of

the “Mail Servicee”, promoter of the concept and offshore agent with the sole right to promote outside Victoria on a government to government basis, was overwhelmed, when in the first two days of operation the first NZ$6.OO —just one number off a NZ$ 149,000 win was announced and 6,000 tickets, normally some weeks worth, were distributed

within two and a half days of operation.

“The euphoria has exceeded our expectations” he said delightedly and expects his original estimate of a NZ$l million per annum spending to double.

“The most I counted queuing were 60 people, at one time. On a quiet day 300 poolers came through, 1,200 1,300 on a busy one. That’s with only 600 registered, so far. We expect that figure to reach three and a half thousand.”

Not without teething troubles, how ever, the computerised system between Melbourne and Rarotonga, having a one day time difference, produced a NZ$l million win, which was not a win, confusion. The Australian Eastern Stan dard Time is printed on the ticket which must match up. In this case, the disappointed woman found she was a day out.

However, with a turnover of NZ$l5 million per week, Tattersalls does create six or seven real one-dollar millionaires every two weeks in Australia.

“My calculations, based on the odds,

with access to Australian contributions, of winning one in eight million, with minor prizes one in fives, I’d say Rarotonga will have it’s first millionaire within two years,” he says.

But becoming a millionaire overnight can produce problems. Grasping family, well meaning friends or fast talking sales people have parted winners from their money in under five years, statistics show.

“Part of the recommendation to gov ernment is that counselling be provided to outline money management tech

niques,” Hycenko says.

The extensive promotional campaign

with entertainer Mark Scott endeavour ing to explain the system, saw the island buzzing with twice nightly seminars, followed by a hotel crawl with give-away prizes providing instant reaction and

spontaneity.

Five employment opportunities have

been provided with agents in 10 lo cations. The outer islands however will have to wait six months before they can share in the fun.

On a more global level, it’s not only the individual who benefits. The Cook Islands Sports and Olympic Association (CISOA) stands to greatly benefit by creaming off 35 per cent of lotto spending, thus making obsolete the drudge of selling raffle tickets.

Terry Hagan, president of the CISOA says this money will go via the Ministry of Youth and Sports, towards the development of sports, remaining in their coffers until divisional payout, which is

quarterly.

In other words, out of every dollar spent, 60 cents will return to the lotto pool and 5 cents to Tattersalls. Of the remaining 35 cents, 99 per cent (or 34.65

cents) will go back to the State of Victoria government, Hycenko ex plained.

“It will be difficult to sell a raffle for a SIOO prize, when you can win millions for a NZ$2.lO minimum entry. The Golden Kiwi in New Zealand floundered within three months!”

“Individually each country could not hope to run anything as significant.

When sweeps remain unfilled there is no way of giving back the money and it tends to disappear. Here we have a controlled mechanism by which the money is raised in significant amounts then channelled under strict controlled audit. A lump sum to government each quarter will be a significant amount which they can then proportion accord ing to their desires. Raffle money before came in dribs and drabs with no one knowing what the end amount was going to be. Budgeting was difficult because it was coming in such small amounts,” he says.

Not only that, but a percentage of the profit will come back in community based sponsorship with preference given

to infrastructure assistance.

Already Tattersalls feeds back NZ$3OO million in charity to Australia. Here, “The Mail Service” is sponsoring the filming of the sixth Festival of the Pacific Arts in October, and rugby, in conjunc tion with Steinlager, has already received support.

Sounds easy, but from the feasibility study conducted two years ago, much organisation has taken place behind the scenes.

Legislative changes were necessary.

When the Gaming (Tattersalls)

Amendment Bill was put before Parlia ment the leader of the Opposition Democratic Party, Dr. Terepan Maoane, said the Act would open the door for casinos and should be referred back to the public for discussion.

Democratic MP Norman George said it would cause social disturbances. He expressed concern for low income famil ies tempted to take an ill-afforded NZ$lO out of a NZ$BOO a week paypacket.

Hycenko, however, says, “I don’t

subscribe to that principle, it’s not horse racing where people with a red hot tip rush out and withdraw their life savings, beg or borrow, it’s not a casino, but a family orienated, non-addictive, low entry investment into a mammoth prize.”

Soon, the 3-4 million people of the Pacific too, continuing with Nauru and the Solomons will have a chance to participate in this game which has turned around the concept of fund

raising.”

Me, I’m going with what Hycenko calls the “psyche” — which gives me a perception of control because I’m pick ing the numbers and appeals to my “lady luck” feelings. There are 30 to 40 thousand tickets to choose from, brought in a couple of times a week. With well over a million dollars in the Kino game and three million coming up in Lotto, who cares which game, I’ve got a few dreams which need fulfilment.

Think I’ll buy myself a lotto watch, like his, get myself a set of numbers, take my chance. After all, you’ve gotta be in to win!

Kia Manuia. □