BANGKOK, 13 May 2015 – The Government Lottery Office (GLO) has decided not to fund the buyback of unsold lottery tickets, saying the program attracts corruption.
GLO Chairman Major General Apirat Kongsompong said the office would instead attempt to regulate the price of lottery tickets at 80 baht apiece and offer bigger discounts for registered distributors to increase their profit margins.
The price of a lottery ticket for these agencies is initially set at 69.60 baht. Retailers should be able to procure the tickets at 71.20 baht.
Major General Apirat is confident that the new measures would help lottery retailers absorb losses from unsold tickets.
He said the measures will be enacted in three phases. The first phase starts from June to the end of the year. The second phase will kick off next year and go until until the new government is elected. The final phase, which implements information technology in lottery tickets, would likely begin during the new administration.
