Let people choose the lottery numbers, says economist
Well-known economist Sangsit Piriyarangsan called on the government on Friday to heed demands of lottery vendors over a vital condition that the new two and threedigit lotteries system must allow punters to select the numbers they want to buy.
He said 94 per cent of respondents in a TV instant poll said they wanted to select the own numbers. "The tickets with predesignated numbers will sell only 10 to 20 per cent, and will earn the government only Bt600 million in sales each drawing which is hardly worthwhile. "Vendors agreeing to sell the new lotteries can only survive for three or four lottery draws, then they will give up after making zero profits selling tickets with predesignated numbers," he added. Sangsit, now chairman of the finance, banking and political institutes panel of the National Legislative Assembly, said he would be very disappointed if the government pushes ahead with its plan without heeding opinions and criticisms of vendors and lottery buyers. "The government will not solve any lotteryrelated problems faced by the country, it will only solve the problems facing itself," he said. "Open your ears, and listen to the people harder," he added. About 50 vendors yesterday gathered outside Government House to submit their written statement to the prime minister, who refused to meet them. They later made public details in the statement to journalists covering the House beat. The statement criticised a number of major conditions planned under the new lotteries system, including those stating that vendors could not return the unsold tickets to the Government Lottery Office (GLO) and that the 7 per cent commission was too low. The unsold punting sheets of the previous two and threedigit lotteries system initiated by the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra government could be sold back to the GLO and the commission rate was higher. The Nation
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