Benz raffle lights up social media
Jamaicans will see in coming days whether a Benz raffle, which was put on by Chavez Allen, a 25-year-old who calls himself a foreign exchange trader, was the real deal.
The draw for the 2014 Mercedes Benz CLA-250, which Allen said is valued at $5 million, took place yesterday on Instagram, the platform on which the competition was run.
NOT REGULATED BY THE BGLC
Raffle tickets were sold for US$50 (approximately J$7,500) each. Allen would not disclose how many tickets were sold. The competition was not regulated by the Betting, Gamings and Lotteries Commission and neither were auditors present for the draw. Allen merely shook a clear jar, containing strips of paper, and then pulled out a number. The holder of ticket 183 was deemed to be the winner of the Benz.
More than 3,000 social media users tuned in to Allen’s Instagram profile for the draw yesterday.
“Who gives away a Benz in a pandemic?” said Allen who goes by the moniker Pajama Billionaire and claims to be a self-taught foreign exchange trader.
“I’m coming from nothing, dropped out of school and I couldn’t get a job. People will always talk and people’s opinion of me don’t matter,” he said.
He said that the raffle competition, which started in June, was actually a private in-house raffle for his students enrolled in his forex trading classes. He believes foreign exchange trading is a way of teaching financial literacy in the 21st century, as persons are mentally enslaved to the traditions of seeking a 9-5 job.
“Quarter million a day kills the 9-5 away. Our parents failed to teach us about financial literacy and I’m able to teach persons how to level up and use their 9-5 as a tool,” Chavez said.