by Rod Hughes

Only 10% of the annual earnings from the National Lottery go to charitable works, revealed a Sunday La Nacion investigative report. The report is the second piece of bad news to hit the Junta de Proteccion Social (JPS), the lottery administrative board. Recently, a disgruntled winner sued JPS in the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber and the trial decision could well hamper JPS even more.

The suit was filed by a winner who says he misplaced his ticket and was only able to present himself for his cash prize the day after the claim deadline. JPS says its charity work would be crippled if it had to wait months or even a year before disbursing unclaimed prizes to charity.

The National Lottery, a twice per week drawing, is a social institution here, supporting public hospitals and other charities. Church-goers, who would no more think of going to a casino than they would to a bordello, pick up lottery tickets as casually as they would a candy bar, despite the drawing’s obviously being a game of chance. JPS’s monopoly is protected by law and even church lotteries are technically illegal, although the law is seldom enforced.

The board itself is independent from the central government but is a public institution closely controlled by law to keep corrupt officials’ sticky fingers out of the cookie jar. And the jar is big, indeed, containing tens of millions–dollars, not just colones–annually, from sales of lottery tickets and “scratch-and-win” cards through authorized roving sales persons and fixed posts. Not only hospitals receive JPS funds but the Costa Rican Cancer Institution, the housing bank, the Red Cross and refuges for alcoholics and senior citizens–the list goes on and on.

But the drain on earnings is great. Prizes account for 56%, earnings of the vendors take another 12%. Surprisingly for a non-profit institution, JPS must pay a 12.5% sales tax to government coffers. Printing costs are 12%, high because the tickets must be proof against counterfeiting, especially a problem during the sales of El Gordo (the Fat One), the lucrative Christmas drawings. Another tac eats up 4% and administrative costs are a modest 1%, so not a great deal goes into executives’ pockets.

JPS has submitted a bill to the Legislative Assembly to redistribute the tax on games of chance and eliminate some taxes on lottery earnings but legislation in this country goes at oxcart pace.

by Rod Hughes

Prize fighting is not a big sport in Ticolandia but the country has turned out a few “name” fighters. Last Saturday at the National Stadium, Costa Rican heavyweight Carl Davies won a 10-round unannimous decision against Panamanian Luis Andres “the Wood-Splitter” Pineda. Pineda’s nickname comes from his bulk but it appeared that it was largely fat compared with the muscular Davies.

Davies survived this World Boxing Association sancioned bout, despite having his right eye nearly closed from halfway through and an imflamed left eye. In the 10th round, both went crashing to the canvas, giving no quarter. Earlier on the full card of bouts, Escazu native Bryan “Tiquito” Vazquez won a close but unannimous decision over Nicaraguan Wilmer Gonzalez in the 128-lb. class.

Other winners were Nelson Lara, Berman “La Cobra” Sanchez amd Reward Marti who decked Andres Garcia in the second round.

by Rod Hughes

Cartago, fighting off demotion into the Second Division, surprised Perez-Zeledon 2-0 on its home pitch Sunday in the weekend’s only match in First Division soccer. P-Z was riding high and confident after its last match in which the southern warriors tromped leader Saprissa.

Everything was going right for Cartago, including the “foggy city’s” usual climatic antics–sporadic rain, chilly wind, broken by a timid sun. The old capital’s stadium is the only one in the country equipped with fog lights. (Well, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea.) Anyhoo, Cartago did not catch fire until Jose Francisco “Cocha” Alfaro blasted one in.

P-Z threatened, including hitting the upright, but could not manage to hit the net. Then, Cartago’s Leonardo Madrigal added the insurance. Madrigal, who lost his mother to melanoma last Dec. 2, dedicated his goal to his mother.