The Finance Ministry is planning an automatic lottery-ticket system to deal with overpricing of tickets by vendors. The Government Lottery Office is studying a six-digit lotto scheme, and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij is convinced this would not lead to a legal problem like the two- and three-digit schemes.
He said the first lotteries would be held to raise funds for charitable purposes, with vendors carrying a machine and typing out tickets with numbers prescribed by buyers. He said the direct sales should solve the overpricing of tickets at Bt100-Bt110 against a face value of Bt80.
He said the first lotteries would be held to raise funds for charitable purposes, with vendors carrying a machine and typing out tickets with numbers prescribed by buyers. He said the direct sales should solve the overpricing of tickets at Bt100-Bt110 against a face value of Bt80.
"The law stipulates that government lottery tickets must be sold through contractors. Meanwhile, buyers only go for lucky numbers. As many tickets with unlucky numbers are left over, retailers fear losses and raise the prices. We need to change the distribution system," he said.
He insisted the government had no plan to increase the number of lotteries to solve overpricing.
It remains unclear when the lotto would become available, as the Government Lottery Office needs to adjust the distribution system and work on the prize scheme.
The office now produces 54 million tickets in each lottery round, as well as 14 charity lotteries.
Korn said that once the overpricing was solved, the ministry would consider whether to levy excise taxes on lotteries as suggested by the Excise Department.
He added that the ministry would organise a free concert to raise funds for flood victims on December 17 from 5-9pm. This will take place in the ministry's backyard, which can accommodate an audience of 1,000.
Korn will auction some of his favourite personal items to raise funds. Several shops and state agencies will also open booths to sell New Year gift items. The funds raised from the event will be used to support flood victims' home repairs.
