Why Belize’s $1M Lottery Winners Remain a Secret

It’s been almost a year since the Belize Government Lotteries Limited handed out a million-dollar jackpot, but the identities of the fourteen lucky winners are still unknown. That secrecy has sparked questions about transparency and accountability.

Does keeping the winners’ names private undermine public confidence in the system?

When asked about it on Thursday, Ministry of Investment CEO Narda Garcia explained the reasoning behind the confidentiality. “We cannot, we don’t want to disclose winners for obvious reasons. We don’t want people to say ‘you’ve just won.’ The last time, I think it was fourteen people that won and we asked them to come to the office and they got their checks because crime is an issue in the country and we don’t want anybody to be negatively impacted by sharing their names,” she said.

Garcia added that financial transparency is maintained through official channels. “We have our accounts. In fact, today, the audited financials for the last year are being presented, are laid in front of the National Assembly, the House, and then the Senate, so that we are very transparent on what we do, what we collect, and what we pay out,” she said.

For now, the ministry maintains that the lottery process has been above board.