Not only have we had to endure staying at home, can’t drive at night, until last week malls closed, no lottery as well.
The Junta de Protección Social (JPS), the state lottery, shut down the games on March 20, leaving thousands without their fix.
But good news, on Monday the JOS said that the games are back, with the first draw of Chances to be played this Friday, May 8; and that tickets were being made available to vendors that same morning.
he jackpot will pay ¢100 million colones. The cost of an ‘entero’ (5 tickets) is ¢6,000 or ¢1,200 for each piece.
The JPS assured that social distancing and handwashing is part of the precaution of the times and as ordered by the Ministry of Health as a condition of resuming the games.
Given the crisis caused by the virus, the JPS is also trying innovations in its product placement system. Instead of the customer looking for the seller, it encourages the seller to get closer to the customer.
How? By cellphone. By Whatsapp. The lottery listed the telephone number and email of vendors on its website and the area of the country they sell in. The list so far is short, but expected to increase in the coming days, according to the JPS.
In contrast to popular belief, lottery vendors are registered with the JPS, they are not random sellers.
Of the more than 300 authorized street vendors of the lottery, 13% are seniors, whom the JPS is allowing, during the national emergency, to appoint a representative to buy the tickets and special hours if they do so personally.
