The ‘scratch card’ game, similar to the one sold with great success over the past few years in Portugal, was launched yesterday, Tuesday, December 13, in Mozambique by Sojogo, an entity held by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, and manager of lottery and mutual betting operations in the country.
“It is a game that entertains and that we hope will be a real success and, more importantly, in which the revenues revert to support social institutions,” said Amelia Zambeze, administrator of the association, on the sidelines of the launch ceremony in Maputo.
The game now introduced in the country is made with the support of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML), partner of Sojogo since its creation in 2004 and the entity that, in Portugal, has the exclusivity of the exploitation of social games, a factor highlighted by the Portuguese ambassador in Mozambique, António Costa Moura, who praised precisely, “the historical role of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in supporting numerous social causes and their beneficiaries.
Paulo Lourenço, administrator of Santa Casa Global Moçambique, began by recalling the principles that guide the presence of the institution in Mozambique and which include, first and foremost, “obtaining revenue to fund the social, cultural and sports support activities developed by the various social organizations linked to Sojogo, not forgetting the fight against illegal gambling and related activities, creating the necessary conditions for channeling the demand for gambling to the supply of social games and, finally, the promotion of moderate and responsible gaming habits, enabling, at the same time, the realization of informed choices on the different social games.
As for the game itself, now launched, he points out that “a gap in the market is thus filled, moreover, because this is a sales success in Portugal that is largely due to certification by the World Association of Lotteries, which ensures credibility with regard to the distribution of prizes which is what, also in Mozambique, we will always guarantee.
SOJOGO was formed by public deed on the 25th of November 2004 in Maputo, as a result of the partnership established between the Gaming Department of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and ELAM (Empresa de Lotarias e Apostas Mútuas de Moçambique) and the contacts made with the Government of Mozambique and in particular with the General Inspectorate of Gaming of Mozambique. The headquarters of Santa Casa, remains in Sojogo, and the revenues from the various games marketed are directed to the various non-profit associations of social, cultural and sporting activities. Amélia Zambeze even emphasizes the Mozambican Association for the Development of Rural Women, which she herself directs, that “has already opened boreholes and supported the livestock production of its beneficiaries with the revenues from the games,” she reiterated.
The launch yesterday featured five ‘scratch cards’ at a face price of 20 meticais each and whose prizes range from 20 meticais to one million meticais.
As in Portugal, each ticket belongs to a numbered game and includes on the back information about the amount of prizes, total value and probability of receiving one of the winning tickets.
The game is prohibited to people under 18 years old.
