GLO to launch new lottery sets next year

GLO to launch new lottery sets next year

The Government Lottery Office is set to issue new lottery sets in which five tickets with the same numbers are compiled into one set with a jackpot of 300 million baht in the middle of next year.

These lottery sets, which will be sold at 400 baht each, are an effort to tackle the illegal compilation of attractively numbered tickets which are sold together at an inflated price, said GLO spokesman Thanawat Pholvichai.

Currently, major lottery traders will buy lottery tickets with desirable, or "lucky", numbers from retail traders and then compile them into what is known as a set. These sets are then resold at prices much higher than face value.

The jackpot of each 80 baht lottery ticket is 6 million baht. A five-ticket set has a total jackpot of 30 million baht and is sold for at least 500 baht despite its face value technically being 400 baht. The seven-ticket set, with a 42 million baht payout potential, is sold at 700-800 baht, which is higher than the 560 baht face value.

Mr Thanawat said the GLO has increased the number of lottery tickets in the market, which has helped to reduce inflated ticket prices to a certain extent. Still, to control lottery ticket prices effectively, the GLO must sell its own special lottery sets, he said.

Once the GLO issues the lottery sets, it will help bring down the inflated prices of unofficial lottery sets compiled by traders to closer to 80 baht per ticket.

It is expected the office's lottery sets could be launched in the middle or second half of next year.

However, the GLO board will make a decision on the issue in March.

Mr Thanawat admitted that complaints of overpriced lottery tickets remain but the situation has improved. Over the past few years, there were generally 300 complaints per month but that number has reduced to 1,000 over the last four months.

He said unofficial ticket prices have also now reduced in price to 100-120 baht as opposed to 150 baht as was being charged at one point.

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