National lotteries and their popularity (Cuba)

The phrase "national lottery" in the Caribbean context usually means state circulation with a social orientation - deductions for sports, culture or health care. Cuba is an exception: after the 1959 revolution, commercial gambling, including lotteries, was discontinued, and since then the country has not had a legal national lottery in the usual sense for the region. Nevertheless, interest in "numbers and luck" did not disappear - it partially went into culture, partially into the shadows.

1) Short story: from pre-revolutionary circulations to ban

Until 1959: lotteries and sweepstakes coexisted with casinos and cabarets, forming the "evening package" of Havana entertainment.

After 1959: the dismantling of the gambling industry also covered lotteries; the state did not restore them in commercial format.

Legacy: the habit of "betting on numbers" remained in the mass imagination, but lost its legal channel.

2) Why Cuba doesn't have a national lottery today

1. Ideological continuity: Lotteries are seen as part of the "old gambling shop window."

2. The priority of social policy without a game: fundraising for public needs is decided by other mechanisms.

3. Management costs: the lottery needs control institutions (supervision, anti-fraud, audit of circulations), building them "from scratch" for the sake of one product is not considered appropriate.

4. Risks of the "sliding trajectory effect": the return of the lottery may be perceived as the first step towards liberalizing gambling - a course for which the country is not ready.

3) Popularity of lotteries "around Cuba": why the topic does not leave the agenda

In neighboring jurisdictions (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, etc.), national and private-state lotteries are a familiar part of the economic landscape: they give the budget predictable revenues, form the habit of "small bets on a big dream." Cubans with relatives abroad see these practices on media and social media - hence the persistent "lottery memory," which does not coincide with the local legal regime.

4) Underground surrogates: pain and "home circulations"

Bolita is a folk format for betting on numbers, often "tied" to symbols, dreams, dates.

How it works: collecting "bets" through acquaintances/couriers, "drawing" by agreement (sometimes by external numbers), payments "from hand to hand."

Why pulls people: low threshold of entry, social habit, hope "on trifles."

Why it is dangerous: lack of guarantees and control; frequent non-payment, substitution of rules, conflicts and legal consequences.

💡 Important: Any underground lotteries are illegal in Cuba.

5) Tourists and "innocent pranks" in hotels

Sometimes hotels conduct cash-strapped activities: quizzes, giveaways among event participants, "fan chips" without exchanging for values. This is not a lottery in the legal sense: there is no paid ticket, cash prize and bank. The border is simple: there should be no money at the entrance and exit. Everything else is a risk for the organizers.

6) Social optics: why the lottery seems "softer" than a casino

Small bets: psychologically perceived as "safe."

Collective ritual: the purchase of a "lucky ticket" is discussed among friends.

Fantasy of targeted use: "part of the money goes to a good deed."

The paradox is that it is the "soft image" that pushes to the underground where there is no legal lottery - and the shadow is always more dangerous for the wallet and legal status.

7) What supporters and opponents of the idea of "return the lottery" say

Supporters: the state lottery could supplant the pain, create "white" rules, give the budget income and built-in practices of responsible play (limits, warnings).

Opponents: lottery - "gate" to the normalization of gambling; social costs (dependence, regressive collection from the poorest households) outweigh the fiscal benefits; the moral line is more important.

(At the time of writing, the country's basic course is to maintain the ban; the discussion is academic.)

8) Myths about "national lotteries" and reality

Myth: "The lottery is almost charity."

Fact: in most countries it is a commercial product under supervision; the share of social contributions is a matter of policy and transparency.

Myth: "Small rates do not harm the budget."

Fact: with regularity and low incomes, a hidden regressive "tax on hope" is formed.

Myth: "A legal lottery will solve the underground problem right away."

Fact: Displacing shadow takes time, trust and strict compliance.

9) Looking ahead: what would be needed for the "white" lottery (hypothetical)

Supervisor and IT circuit: certification of random number generators, public reports, audit of circulations.

Responsible play: shopping limits, risk warnings, help hotlines.

Transparent calculation of deductions: an understandable formula for distribution for social purposes.

Communicating with society: Talking honestly about chances and risks, not just winners.

(This is an analytical chart, not a recommendation to change course.)

10) Memo for residents and guests of Cuba

Cuba does not have a legal national lottery.

Any paid raffles with a cash prize are illegal.

Clandestine "circulations" are dangerous: there are no guarantees of payments, high risks of fraud and legal consequences.

Cash-strapped sweepstakes in hotels are entertainment if the prizes are symbolic and participation is free.

"National lotteries" as a cultural phenomenon are popular around the world - but not in Cuba, where there is a long-term course towards a complete ban on gambling. The vacuum of a legal product pushes some of the demand into the shadows, but underground lotteries do more harm than hope: non-payments, conflicts, legal risks. For residents and tourists, the main guideline is simple: not to get involved in paid "circulations" and betting practices, but to choose safe, legal forms of leisure.