Vinaka!

A huge Fiji Sixes thank you to all our loyal readers who have entered Fiji Sixes over the past 28 years!

The bad news first: Sadly, Game number 226 was the last game of Fiji Sixes.

The Board of Fiji Times Limited and the Board of Fiji Sixes Charity Fund have decided to cease the lottery game, Fiji Sixes, for the following reasons:

• Competition from other electronic lottery games meant the game was becoming less viable and too cumbersome to manage. It is not possible to continue the games as volumes had reduced compared to ten years ago
• The cost to run Fiji Sixes meant it was prohibitive to continue as only 20% of the takings could be allocated to administer the lottery
• We have been on high security alert for the past five months on advice from the Fiji Police Special Branch, that criminal elements were targeting our coupon collection system. No one could guarantee protective services on an ongoing basis. We could not allow our Fiji Sixes team to become a target, especially considering they were involved in raising money for charity. Thanks to the Police for their enormous support and advice during this tense time
• Last year The Fiji Council of Social Services produced a misleading and inaccurate report about gambling that incorrectly suggested that Fiji Sixes was not doing the job it was set up to do. Some media chose to do a hatchet job on the Fiji Sixes team and Board and ran the “report” without getting the facts about our charity fund. It was just another pathetic and boring way of the media trying to get at The Fiji Times, at the expense of credible people associated with the charity. FCOSS has since apologised and retracted the damaging details about the Charity Fund.

The good news: The Fiji Sixes Charity Fund will continue.

Accumulated savings means the Fiji Sixes Charity Fund will carry on. Once these funds are exhausted, The Fiji Times will then contribute in order to maintain the good work for the needy in our community.

Once Game 226 is wrapped up, we will publish audited details of the Lottery and the Fund, which is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, and also details of how the Fund will continue.

The criteria for applying for support, in place since 1977, will remain unchanged. Once again, thank you to all those supporters over the years.

Tony Yianni
Chairman,
Fiji Sixes Charity Fund
Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Our Fiji Sixes Charity Fund has spent over $3.5 million to support the needy since July 1977