The massive publicity, the bumper grand, and super prizes worth millions, and the tacit backing of the Government have made the Saver Raffle the Caviar to the general. Every Khan, Balochs, Soomro, Chaudary and his next door neighbor is caught in the frenzy of this unprecedented popularity, charm and temptation. The mill worker from SITE, the cotton grower of Udero Lal in Sindh, the fisherman from Gwadur, the shop-keeper in the Kissa Khwani Bazar in Peshawar, and the street vendor at the Anarkali Bazar in Lahore alongwith the purdah clad housewife, and millions more have been induced to stand in queues at the Habib Bank counters, forking out the green-coloured bank notes with enthusiasm, passion, and gusto. The over - saturated propagation of rags-to-riches stories glorified unabashedly on the television have made people yearn for the flesh pots. Suddenly the raffle scheme has become a panacea for all the ills misfortunes, and deficits befalling on the society. In fact everybody is out to suggest clones of this scheme for other necessities and priorities.

Notwithstanding the fact that millions can be generated thru authentic schemes such as the Saver Raffle, the various proponents of these schemes have not yet elucidated is the definition and identity of the raffle ticket buyers. Invariably, the lure of this scheme traps the poor and the lower middle class. They fall for the portrayal of the poor tea-house owner, the mill worker, the innocent student, the two prim sisters, or the cute toddler who all have won the top prizes and gloat over them on prime time T.V. The climax of every draw is on the 15th of the month at 9.40 p.m. on national TV when the versatile Naeem Bukhari in his very immaculate way explains how at the touch of a button, a few lucky ones will get rich and the countless millions will sulk at the loss of their precious money. The next day, however, these very countless millions plus thousands more will go out, as usual, and buy the tickets for the next draw.

The smart organizers, to satiate the ever-increasing demand for the tickets (and to counter black marketing), keep on printing more and more tickets and increasing the tempo of the sales. The obvious result is that the winning odds get worse. The chances for winning reduce with every additional ticket sold. Of course, the poor buyer is not aware of this. Nobody inform him about the odds. The special feature of the Saver Raffle scheme is the advertising blitz. The hard-sell campaign jazzed-up with a well-articulated flair, sophisticated visual effects and convincing sales pitch has played a pivotal role in success of the scheme. Millions are spent on its publicity. Are the organizers getting special rates from the newspapers/TV/Radio? Is the advertising company doing it gratis or is it getting its 15 percent? It's a real bonanza for this private sector company. They are really working overtime to prepare the continuously changing commercials, the artwork, the layouts, the films etc., One just hopes that there is no conflict of interest as the top honcho of the advertising company is also the organizing committee's master planner. Now that the scheme has matured, does Saver all this colossal media onslaught?

The Saver-Raffle will, of course, stay. This has been announced by the organizers. Naturally to keep up the charm, the organizers will chip in with more prizes, more variety in their presentations, and more cash outlays. Will the Fifth draw have a "JACK POT" prize of, say, three million or the "BONANZA" prize of, say four million? In the fourth draw, apart from the cash prizes, there are 979 prizes in kind. These include 829 local products and 150 imported watches. This is one area where Saver Raffle can become a source of patronizing Pakistani Products (PPP). It can offers as prizes, more Pakistani products. Why stop at only eight kinds of goods. Other prizes offered should include fabrics, bicycles, crockery, furniture, carpets, mattresses, plastic goods, and what not. In fact there should be atleast 10,000 prizes in kind rather than the present 979. Atleast there won't be discrimination and there will be an increase in the demand for the raffle. It can be assumed that the manufacturers of the present prizes are giving their products to Saver at discounted prices. What has Saver got to lose? They are dishing out ONLY Rs. 1.25 crores in cash and a few hundred thousands worth of other goods. They are minting crores. They can provide a fillip to the recessionary trend in the consumer market. The economy is still in doldrums inspite of official utterances. The customer is still on the sidelines conserving the cash. They money is not rolling into the market with force. Let the manufacturers also enjoy the benefits of the Saver Raffle. As long as people are buying the tickets, and the popularity graph is reaching the moon, why shouldn't the Pakistani manufacturers not take advantage of it. The Saver Raffle can be their savior too. Of course, tough competition will be there to decide whose products will be approved by the organizers. That is also left upto those who know what to do and how to do. After all not everybody wins the tenders or contracts.

There is also a growing possibility that the Saver Raffle will be a harbinger of more raffle schemes in the future. It is feared that others with strong influences high-powered backing, and well-established contacts will prevail upon the decision-makers to allow them the facility to promote their own schemes. This is when the problems will begin. A free-for-all atmosphere will flourish and the vulturistic tendencies of the dishonest, tricksters, and frauds will start blossoming. The final out of these schemes can be evinced from the plight of the duped depositors who were lured by the glamor and glitz of the mushrooming investment companies.

The introduction of the raffle schemes for mobilizing resources for the government is being advocated by many. This, unfortunately is not the solution. For example, industrialization does not prosper due to dependence on a raffle. It depends on bold, radical, and liberal policies of the Government. Once the facilities are proffered to the industrialists, once the law and order situation is improved, once the stagnant thinking of the bureaucracy is switched in motions then there will be industrialization. Then, government will get more money in the form of duties, taxes, and surcharges. Then government will not have to begs borrow, or sell its soul. Then government will not need a raffle (sucking in the money of the poor).

The desire for striking it rich is a normal feature of capitalism. In other countries, certain city or state administrations it is conceded, do depend on lotteries to generate funds for their products. Raffles are however not the only way people have to make a fast buck. Some bet on horses, some on test matches, some on other available means. Politics is another game to make money. Disraeli once said that "there is no gambling like politics". The winner is bestowed with riches beyond his dreams. The golden pot is right there for him to take. The politician on whom Lady Luck has smiled lovingly can soon feed on ambrosia and nectar. He is the lucky prize for the voter who had bought the, ballot card (ticket). It just turns out that the ticket buyer (the voter) became the accomplice of the prize (the winning candidate), but in the process gets zilch for his support. If the politician is not honest if; he goes on with his shenanigans, it he rakes in the plots, permits, and ministries, then the blame also lies with the voter. The voter has lost. He committed a sin in voting for an insincere man. His raffle ticket did not win a prize. Period.

Why do people participate in raffles, lotteries, and prize schemes? One should comprehend the human psychology behind this frivolous, inane, and mindless pursuit of a Byzantine luxury. There is a maniacal affliction to hankering for wealth. This desire had lead them to the investment companies who took full advantage of their gullibility and strung them high and dry. The materialistic feeling has superseded all norms of rational thinking. The root cause of the decay of this nation's moral fiber is the revolting craving for concupiscence and lust for wordly gains. This has transplanted the citizens of Pakistan into a hyperactive mania bordering on insanity. It has tarnished the lustre of the tried and tested system of hardwork, vitality, and perseverance that was embodied in this nation's residents and has led to its humiliating collapse. It has culminated into a devil-may-care attitude with an amorphous approach to apathy towards efficiency in daily life.

Raffles, lotteries, and prize schemes are easy ways out. These are not the answers. They are just like a mare's nest. Let this country not gamble away its future. As Wilson Mizner said: "The sure way of getting nothing for is through gambling"