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Midnight at the
Federal Palace Hotel, and there is a flow of people from the casino out
onto the parking lot, all the way to a white Marquee that looks more
suited for a grand wedding reception. It is draw night at new
state-of-the-art casino in the hotel, and up for grabs are a brand new
car and $3000. Several hundred people have gathered under the
impressive white marquee. Platinum Card holders can occupy the cordoned
off seating area right front of the stage, and they are entitled to
champagne and other drinks, courtesy of the hotel. The people here are
mostly from the expatriate community. Others have to stand from the
middle to the back of the hall.

“I’m going to be
making ten people very happy tonight,” says the honey-voiced emcee as
he introduces Harriet, the young lady who will roll the Tombola to pick
out 10 lucky numbers. “For three months, I’ve been talking of this day.
Finally, we’re here,” continues the Emcee. A Kia Sorrento car has been
given out every last Saturday of the month since February; over
£200,000 has been won in cars and cash since then. Tonight’s car
giveaway, a Kia Mohave, is the biggest so far.

The Comedian, AY,
is introduced and he takes the stage with Niger Delta jokes about
kidnappings of ‘Oyinbos’ and ‘Indians’. More jokes follow about
differences in the attitudes of black and white people in certain
situations. He keeps up the black and white theme throughout. When the
10 lucky numbers are called later, the corresponding tickets are held
by a mix of Lebanese, Indian and Black players. None of these would be
considered ‘Caucasian’ in a Euro-American sense, but AY keeps referring
to the Lebanese and Indians as ‘White’ and they don’t seem to mind,
underscoring what passes for ‘white’ in a largely black society.

Lucky draw

And so the ticket
numbers are called one after another. Among the lucky ticket holders
are: B Oladimeji and Daria Nani. “Where are you from, sir?” AY asks Mr.
Nani, who is taken aback by the question but answers matter-of-factly,
“From Nigeria.” AY follows with, “Where were you born in Nigeria?” The
answer: “St Nicholas Hospital”. Another ticket holder, Mary Benson
(from Ekiti State), has already won $3000 on a previous night. Many who
frequent these draw nights have won varying prizes before, and keep
coming back for more.

Other lucky punters
include: J Kirpalani, N Habeeb, B.K Kuma and at least one other name
that’s drowned out by audience cheers. J.A Akobundun is the youngest
ticket holder (he and Mary Benson later come up in the eighth and ninth
position, sharing the £3000 between them; seven other ticket holders
get £100 worth of chips each to play in the casino, so every one of the
drawn ten, wins something). “Naira or dollars, which do you prefer?”
the emcee asks AY. “Convert the dollars into naira, and I will take
naira,” the comedian jokes in reply.

The only other
female among drawn ticket holders, T. A Adeaga, is also a regular,
according to the emcee, who by now recognises her face from seeing her
all the time in the casino. The most popular ticket holder of the night
is the Sikh-style turbaned Mr. Narula, who is hailed by the crowd. Then
there is M. Barchini, who wins the car. Of the ten envelopes handed to
the ticket holders, only one has a red car key, and it’s Barchini’s.
Everything unfolds in the presence of an Independent Auditor. Nearly
half of those in the marquee leave once the ten tickets are called, not
even waiting for the announcement of the big winner. Ignoring AY’s
entreaties to stay, they exit quickly, hoping for better luck next time.

Creating excitement

As the action
shifts to the gleaming Kia Mohave outside the marquee, we’re told three
new cars have just been delivered. This means a car is guaranteed to be
won every month until July. “The car and cash giveaway is to encourage
participation in the gaming industry and to attract patrons,” says
David Kliegel, General Manager of the Federal Palace Hotel. He adds
that since the gaming industry is new in Nigeria, these car and cash
giveaways create a buzz around the casino at the Federal Palace, which
boasts facilities not available anywhere else in the country. He sets
out the easy steps for eligibility for potential winners, who need not
be regular or longstanding patrons: “All you have to do is get on our
Most Valued Guest (MVP) programme and show up on draw night.”

Aside from the
once-a-month big draw, there are other incentives laid on weekly. Bingo
Roulette is on every Monday and Wednesday; there is Money Order on the
Box on Fridays. “We try to buy the box back from you, and there’s a
mystery prize,” says Mr. Kliegel. Thousands of dollars are up for grabs
in games on Thursdays and Fridays, amongst other attractions of the
casino. Another Customer Participation Game is due to be unveiled in a
few days, he informs, insisting that no other casino in Nigeria has
these many opportunities to win. “We try to give back to our patrons,”
he announces.

“We believe we are
the only licensed casino in the country. We abide by all the
regulations governing the casino and gaming industries. We guarantee we
can pay all of our jackpots should they come up, and we create
excitement in the process,” he says.

In the excitement
of the casino-branded Kia Mohave’s keys being presented by Kliegel to
Barchini, it slowly dawns on journalists that the lucky winner speaks
no English. His cousin is finally persuaded to help translate a few
words. “I’m very happy and content and thank the Federal Palace and its
management and staff,” Barchini says in translation. To the question,
“What does he do for a living?” – the cousin replies simply, “He works
for a living.”

But never mind about that. Barchini promises to “come back again and again,” hoping to win.