Thailand eyes 3-, 6-digit lotto to curb overpricing, illegal gambling
The government will launch new six- and three-digit lotteries this year in a bid to tackle the problems of overpricing and illegal lotto, a PM’s Office minister said on Tuesday.
Chankrit Dejvitak, assistant Prime Minister’s Office minister, said the panel he chairs is studying guidelines and measures to tackle overpricing. He added that the next step will be to sign a contract with Khon Kaen University to launch a public hearing.
“Once public approval is received, the plan will be proposed to the Cabinet for consideration,” he said.
He added that apart from controlling the price and illegal lottery, gambling addiction will also be tackled by ensuring these lotteries are not available near schools and nobody below the age of 20 can purchase them.
He added that the plan to launch two and three-digit lotteries had been proposed by Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, but had to be dropped because it allegedly violated the Government Lottery Office’s regulations on revenue.
Chankrit went on to say that digital lotteries selling for 80 baht apiece had received a good response from citizens with more than 5 million tickets being snapped up in five days.
However, he said, the government will not increase the number of lottery tickets for the June 16 and July 1 draws, to prevent retailers’ losses.
“Even though digital lotteries have received a good response from people, it is difficult to evaluate a correct number for lottery issue because it is normal for people to be excited about new products,” he said.
He said the government may consider adding more features to the Paotang application, such as lottery discounts and vendors. He added that lotteries can be purchased at 80 baht per ticket at 362 lottery stands nationwide.
“The number of lottery stands selling at this price will be increased to 1,000 by July,” he added.
