Pick three of 20 numbers, place them in the right order and delude yourself into believing that this week you must win. The numbers of the first three horses across the finishing line in France decide the lottery winner in Rwanda. The size of the prizes has nothing to do with the betting odds on individual horses but, like most lotteries, on the number of people prepared to lay a wager. But unlike your average lottery, there is the opportunity to at least try and reduce the chances of losing by looking at the odds of each horse. Although the running form of each of the horses is available at the ticket booth, hardly anyone studies it.
Many people write down three numbers they have already decided on and walk away with their ticket.
One glance at the form told me that one local player, Yassim, didn't have much of a hope in the national lottery. He was approaching Kigali's new pastime far too much in the spirit of chance. A quick glance at the horse's form was not encouraging. Of its last five races the best the horse had managed was fourth place, and it had failed to finish the fifth race. Yassim's other choices didn't look too rosy either.