Lottery Vendors Threaten To Strike
A large number of lottery vendors staged a demonstration in front of the offices of the Junta de Protección Social de San José (JPS) yesterday to protest their discontent in the recent changes by the JPS on the margin of returns for unsold lottery tickets.

At the beginning of the year, te JPS announced it would only receive 20% of the unsold tickets instead of the usual 30%.
The vendors say that the decision has to be approved by the Contraloría General de la República (CGR) - Comptroller's office - and not made by the JPS unilaterally.

The vendors say they have a letter from the Contraloría asserting that it did not order the change in percentage and that the decision is solely of the JPS administration.

A possible solution offered to the vendors is to break down the return percentage over two days, 15% on Tuesdays and 10% on Fridays, however, the vendors refused the offer.

"If there is no agreement, come Wednesday no one will be selling lottery tickets, as the doors of the JPS will be shut", declared Guillermo Alvarez, head of the Sindicato de Vendedores de Lotería (lottery vendors union).

Both the president, Sergio Ramírez, and manager, Luis Polinaris, of the JPS were not available for comment. Ramírez is said to be out the country and Polinaris enjoying his vacation with his family.