Frustrated by the issue of deposit requirements from commercial banks, Online Gaming agents are now threating to sue the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB).
They are also planning to withhold their services.
Online Gaming Agents Association of T&T president Dean Persad said, some banks are demanding that agents use a night safe to deposit cash. He said the banks said they will also soon stop agents from conducting over-the-counter transactions.
Persad said the night safe deposit system is less than ideal. He claimed that money deposited cannot be accounted for from time to time.
“We have a lot of agents whose deposits are remitted late by the banks and a lot of agents who, NLCB calling them and telling them, ‘look, your deposit is $1,800 dollars short, you deposit $2,000 short and we have no redress with this.’ We have no deposit slip stamped as received, which is what we would get normally over the counter,” Persad said.
He also pointed out that depositing money at night is also risky given the crime situation. He said many agents are fearful for their safety.
Persad said his association suggested three options, including the use of over-the-counter transactions, a night safe in a secure place inside the bank and the use of tellers for two days of the week dedicated to NLCB agents.
Persad said given the recent spate of robberies outside of banks and ATMs, agents were worried.
“We feel that NLCB is not representing the agents aggressively and they are not articulating our position properly. We are asking that we meet with the banks and tell them our problems. Doing night safe deposits is a very risky thing.”
Persad also claimed the night deposits are not cleared in a timely fashion and agents are often penalised when the NLCB does not get its money on time.
He said gaming machines are shut down and when this happens, agents are charged a $500 fee to reactivate.
Persad said he had instructed all agents to make their deposits at the NLCB offices instead of at banks.