Location: A private conference room in a Parisian hotel. The dim lighting and understated luxury give the room an air of secrecy—perfect for a conversation no one should overhear. Lionel Steenberg lounges in his chair, impeccably dressed as always, his fingers tapping against his glass of Bordeaux. Across from him, Andreas Kötter, the President of the World Lottery Association, leans forward, his expression tense, eyes sharp with frustration.

Kötter: "Mr. Steenberg, I appreciate you making time for this meeting."

Steenberg: "Always a pleasure, Andreas. I assume this isn’t just about catching up over fine wine?"

Kötter: "No. This is serious. Pegged is gutting state lotteries across West Africa."

Steenberg: "You mean, it’s making gambling more efficient? Tragic." [Smirks, swirling his wine]

Kötter: "Don’t mock me, Lionel. This isn’t just some market shift. We are seeing significant revenue losses, especially in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mali. The traditional lottery structure is collapsing because players are bypassing our regulated systems entirely."

Steenberg: "Bypassing… or simply choosing a better deal? The thing about free markets, Andreas, is that when people have options, they tend to gravitate toward the ones that don’t fleece them."

Kötter: "This isn’t about competition. The revenues from these lotteries fund public services. Schools, hospitals, infrastructure. The Pegged system is draining resources meant for good causes."

Steenberg: "Ah, yes. The famous 'good causes.' Such a noble endeavor—taking money from desperate gamblers and generously redistributing it to, let me guess, a politically connected NGO or some minister’s cousin’s ‘education fund’?"

Kötter: "That’s not fair, Lionel."

Steenberg: "Isn’t it? Come on, Andreas. We both know how this game works. I read the audits. Or rather, the lack of audits. A few coins trickle down to some rural clinic so the press can snap a photo, but the rest? It vanishes into ‘administrative costs.’"

Kötter: "Whatever inefficiencies exist, the point remains—the loss of lottery revenue is destabilizing governments. And it’s spreading to France. La Française des Jeux is reporting significant declines as well."

Steenberg: "Of course it is. Your players are realizing they don’t need a state-sanctioned middleman to take a cut before handing them worse odds than a rigged carnival game."

Kötter: "Gambling requires regulation! You and I both know what happens when it’s left unchecked. Addiction, fraud, criminal networks—"

Steenberg: "Yes, yes, human weakness, moral decay, the usual sermon. I don’t condone gambling, Andreas. I find it repugnant—an industry built on exploiting hope. But my job is stability, not morality. And what I see here is instability. I assume you want me to do something about it?"

Kötter: "It must be stopped. Pegged is not a business—it’s an attack on financial order."

Steenberg: "Spoken like a man whose monopoly is slipping through his fingers." [Chuckles, then leans in] "Alright, Andreas. I’ll look into it. But tell me—why should I prioritize saving an industry that I have zero respect for?"

Kötter: "Because when people stop playing our lotteries, they stop trusting state institutions. You can call us parasites all you want, but our existence ties people to the system. Pegged is severing that connection."

Steenberg: [Sits back, mulling this over. His smirk fades just a little.] "Now that is an argument worth listening to."

Kötter: "So you’ll act?"

Steenberg: "Oh, I’ll act. But let’s be clear—I’m not saving your business, Andreas. I’m saving the state from losing its grip. And that train you mentioned?" [Finishes his wine, sets the glass down lightly] "Consider it halted."