Lotto agents urged: Don't accept NLCB's CourtPay plan

President of the Online Gaming Agents Association of Trinidad and Tobago (OGAATT) Dean Persad is calling on all Lotto agents not to participate in the new CourtPay payment scheme launched by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) on Monday.

In an e-mail to Newsday on Wednesday, he said, “For NLCB, the Judiciary, or anyone for that matter to ask agents to put themselves into further risks for $1 in some cases and 50 cents in other cases, is inconceivable, unthinkable and downright callous.”

Persad said members of OGAATT are no longer agents of NLCB alone, as they also take payments from customers of bmobile, Digicel, Flow, Direct TV and the Water and Sewerage Authority, among others.

“Now we are agents for the Judiciary. All this for a meagre fee of $1 for some and 50 cents for others,” said Persad.

He said the latest CourtPay fee was imposed without consultation by the association and its agents and without proper notice of how the system works by the NLCB.

Persad also referred to a report in a newspaper on Tuesday that NLCB and the judiciary had been in negotiations and tested this project for months. He said while this was going on, the association was not aware, which he found disrespectful.

He pointed out, “This association wants the public to know that after payment at the Lotto booths, they now have to go online to complete the payment process. If there is a problem at that point, who would they go to and clarify or retrieve their money?”

He urged OGAATT and the public to think carefully before accepting and/or making payments.

“We are very concerned about this whole situation, and we think that NLCB should be as well.”

Persad said NLCB needs to treat members of OGAATT with more respect, consideration and compassion, since they are saving the NLCB from “paying staff, infrastructure and office space, utilities, security, rents and headaches.”

He said while all of this is happening, OGAATT members haven’t received an increase in commission since 2007.

“We pay a weekly fee of $100 and have to beg for paper rolls, play slips and charts, face horrible banking issues, compete with illegal gambling, deal with unjust suppression and a reactivation fee of $500.

"Now they come to burden agents with additional work and risks without a proper and decent compensation. Since when are agents responsible for collecting over $27 million for the Judiciary?” asked Persad.

He said OGAATT is extremely displeased with the arrangement in response to a report by the Judiciary entitled Extremely Pleased.

Persad said there was also the argument of the Judiciary wanting to avoid public and staff interactions because of covid19.

Persad asked, “Since when did we become immune to covid19? Such is the contempt, disrespect and disregard for agents, not only by NLCB, but by others.”

Persad is calling on the NLCB to address OGAATT’s call to increase members’ commission by 12 per cent, remove the $100 weekly fee, $500 reactivation fee, a fee of at least $5 per Via transaction and to tend to banking issues.

“We are asking for proper dialogue and consultation on all issues. We agents are not afraid of the work, but we must be treated fairly, with respect and, most of all, we must be properly compensated and motivated to perform our work. Until and unless this is done the association reiterates its call to all agents to refuse these new CourtPay payments.”