Panel chairman Udom Fuangfoong said former cabinet secretary-general Bovornsak Uwanno had given clear and useful information yesterday in regard to "doers and deeds".

The information from Bovornsak - who talked to the panel from 9am until 2pm - had helped to significantly reduce the number of people who would need to be questioned, he said, as they had initially intended to summon 100 people.

The panel should be able to reach a conclusion after the Chinese New Year in February, Udom said.

After the five-hour meeting, Bovornsak left the Auditor General's office via a back door. He said the panel asked him nearly 20 questions in regard to the procedure of decision making for the two- and three-digit lotteries but he only answered questions he knew the answers to.

Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa would give the AEC information in regard to the lotteries on Thursday, while former deputy finance minister Warathep Rattanakorn, who was due to appear the same day, had asked to delay his hearing until after the New Year, Udom told reporters.

More people involved would be called after the New Year, he said.

The panel has so far been unable to contact former deputy premier Wissanu Krue-ngam

- who screened the lottery agenda for the Cabinet's consideration.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister Apai Chandanachulaka said the ministry would survey the number of able and disabled lottery sellers in Bangkok and the provinces.

Then it would look into their vocational skills and talk to businesses to apply the law that requires them to hire one physically challenged person for every 200 employees, he said.

Permanent Secretary for Labour Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said he had instructed all provincial job centres to survey the number of unemployed lottery sellers so as to arrange vocational training and find jobs that fit their abilities.

The ministry would work with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and the Government Lottery Office to prevent redundancy and ensure that vocational training meets unemployed peoples' needs.

In related news, an Abac poll by Assumption University conducted in late November revealed yesterday that 63 per cent of 3,386 people aged over 18 in Bangkok and the provinces bought lottery tickets during the past three months.

People living in the Northeast ranked highest with 68 per cent.

Some 73.5 per cent also said they were not satisfied with the efforts by police to crack down on underground lottery bookies, while 72 per cent predicted more people would bet on the underground lottery in the next six months.