General Prayut sacks lottery board and heads the new board

[Lite Beer]

General Prayut sacks lottery board and heads the new board

BANGKOK: -- Invoking Section 44 of the interim constitution, General Prayut Chan-ocha, in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, ordered the sacking of the board of the Government Lottery Office and setting up a new board with him as the new chairman.

The board has been without with the chairman after Mr Somchai Sujjapongse quit the post late April.

General Prayut also ordered the setting up of a fund called Government Lottery Fund for Social Development. The fund is to be used to buy back unwanted or unsaleable lottery tickets from retailers so as to ease their burden which will encourage them to sell lottery at 80 baht apiece.

However, the fund is also meant to be used to promote study and research on gambling and impacts from gambling and to mete out measures to resolve gambling problem, to remedy those affected by gambling and to promote activities to prevent and ease impacts from gambling.

Earlier, General Prayut announced that he would solve the overpriced lottery problem in June.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/general-prayut-sacks-lottery-board-and-heads-the-new-board

-- Thai PBS 2015-05-01

[smutcakes]

So the solution to the problem is to use public funds to buy back unwanted tickets??? Does not sound like a practical, fair and long term solution to me. In fact it sounds crazy.

[TheAppletons]

So the solution to the problem is to use public funds to buy back unwanted tickets??? Does not sound like a practical, fair and long term solution to me. In fact it sounds crazy.

[brewsterbudgen]

The only legal gambling in Thailand!

[LannaGuy]

the Saviour

[shirtless]

At least he is trying thats more than i can say for western politicians who are hell bent on squeezing the taxpayers out of every cent.

[exona]

Sounds like a nice earner. Perhaps he should sack the board of the mint next.

[fatfather]

I think that he is quite brave to sack the old structures. Some rich and beautiful people are out of business now.... really brave

Fatfather

[SABloke]

So the solution to the problem is to use public funds to buy back unwanted tickets??? Does not sound like a practical, fair and long term solution to me. In fact it sounds crazy.

They are REFUNDING tickets that have not been sold. Where are they using ''public funds'' as you mention?

[Valentine]

So the solution to the problem is to use public funds to buy back unwanted tickets??? Does not sound like a practical, fair and long term solution to me. In fact it sounds crazy.

just what you should expect from a crazy general

I am pretty sure they will only be buying back unsold tickets which have already been paid for by the vendors. Using some of the profits for the public good is definitely not crazy. Promoting sport amongst the youth would go a long way to solving many social problems.

[guru]

The only legal gambling in Thailand!

I thought it was also legal to gamble at the horse races in Bsngkok.

[canuckamuck]

Since Thailand has solved all its other national issues there is plenty of time for the PM to be chairman of the lottery board. This must be one of Thailand's most pressing issues, considering the amount of concern the PM is showing for it.

Also it is brilliant to lower the cost of the tickets, so people who couldn't afford to throw their money away, now can. And the money earned goes towards helping these people who can't afford, or are addicted to gambling, to find a way to quit.

I think they they should lower the price even more to get even more poor people gambling so they can help them quit too.

Edited May 2, 2015 by canuckamuck

[Pikeybkk]

Sounds like a nice earner. Perhaps he should sack the board of the mint next.

Which mint?...a polo, the mint with a hole..;-)

[jacko45k]

So the solution to the problem is to use public funds to buy back unwanted tickets??? Does not sound like a practical, fair and long term solution to me. In fact it sounds crazy.

They are REFUNDING tickets that have not been sold. Where are they using ''public funds'' as you mention?

Will they refund the 80 baht they should cost, or the 120 baht they sometimes charge?

[Ricardo]

There's a danger that the PM will spread himself too thin, like Yingluck with the rice-committee, he should try to delegate things like this, if he has anyone reliable & competent to pass it to.

I don't understand the need for any extra administration/bureaucracy, just to deal with refunds for unsold-tickets, surely that should be managed by the accounts-department already collecting-in the proceeds from sales.

Were this a farang country, I'd say that a switch to an online-lottery might be overdue, but the thought of the potential for cock-ups during the handover makes one think that caution might be wise, with that as the eventual solution to work towards ?

Edited May 2, 2015 by Ricardo

[doggie888888]

I think he wants to find out why HIS driver did not win the first price at least 3x in the last 6 months.

[klauskunkel]

so, the proceeds from lottery gambling will be used to study and resolve gambling problems.

ok...

[Suffinator]

Invoking Section 44 of the interim constitution, General Prayut Chan-ocha, in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, ordered the sacking of the board of the Government Lottery Office and setting up a new board with him as the new chairman.

This is one sector of the government that has been plagued by corruption ... pretty much like the rest of gov. Will Prayut be any different? Is he corrupt? Of course these questions remain unanswered as Prayut, like all those in power, refuse to be transparent in their dealings.

Prayut continuously talks about eradicating corruption but it's all smoke and mirrors and nobody is every really bought to justice. Until Prayut is willing to be transparent then any effort he makes to root out corruption will fail and he'll be yet another to go down in the Thai history books as a miserable failure with unexplained excessive wealth.

[eeworldwide]

It's like The Whacky Races - hilarious!

[Strangebrew]

If they sold tickets in blocks of 1000 to each vendor at 75,000 baht per 1000 tickets the vendors sell at 80 baht thus a profit of 5,000 baht per vendor. Not sure how draws go but if each vendor were to sell say 2,000 tickets per draw 10,000 baht is there's profit. unsold tickets from batch bought get refund only if paid in advance.

[fareastguy]

Why not take the tickets off the streets & make customers buy a "lucky dip" type ticket from high street shops such as 7/11, Lotus, or even larger supermrkets etc using counter services ??

The shop makes a percent per ticket sold & nothing to be returned.
Tickets would be automatically recorded via a link to the lottery center.

[overherebc]

Why not take the tickets off the streets & make customers buy a "lucky dip" type ticket from high street shops such as 7/11, Lotus, or even larger supermrkets etc using counter services ??

The shop makes a percent per ticket sold & nothing to be returned.

Tickets would be automatically recorded via a link to the lottery center.

Why should you bring logic into this thread ??

[rametindallas]

Sell all tickets through vending machines in stores. If the number hits, the store gets a percentage. Find another, less criminal way, to support the poor who are vending on the streets now. The mafia has taken them over.

[Oziex1]

I can hear the printing presses cranking up now, printing all those unsold tickets.

[Bakseeda]

the Saviour

Yes, most Farangs with brains know he is a saviour... all you liver bellied, middle of the road ,liberalist, almost evangelical Red Shirt sympathisers, pull your socks up... Prayuth is here to stay... If you don't like it...There's the <deleted> door.. Rock on Cha-o-cha.....

[TheAppletons]

the Saviour

Yes, most Farangs with brains know he is a saviour... all you liver bellied, middle of the road ,liberalist, almost evangelical Red Shirt sympathisers, pull your socks up... Prayuth is here to stay... If you don't like it...There's the <deleted> door.. Rock on Cha-o-cha.....

The content of your post is so unintentionally ironic wrt "having brains". #zeroselfawareness

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

I think that he is quite brave to sack the old structures. Some rich and beautiful people are out of business now.... really brave

Fatfather

Brave lol. The game works as follows. Company A, which owns shops all over the country pays for a protest that leads to a coup. The great dear leader of the coup needs to pay back the debt to his friend in Company A and then sacks everyone that stands in his way and appoints yes men in their place. They then change the lottery in such a way that his friend in Company A will make billions from lottery ticket sales. The 100 000 disabled people that sell lottery tickets can go and f themselves for what he cares.

[LannaGuy]

the Saviour

Yes, most Farangs with brains know he is a saviour... all you liver bellied, middle of the road ,liberalist, almost evangelical Red Shirt sympathisers, pull your socks up... Prayuth is here to stay... If you don't like it...There's the <deleted> door.. Rock on Cha-o-cha.....

haha and most Thais with brains know he is not

he is the protector of the amart that is all

[Jip99]

the Saviour

Good to see someone taking responsibility and undertake to sort out the overpricing.

[phoenixdoglover]

May 2014 - Populist policies are a form of corruption!

May 2015 - Populist policies are necessary!

Let's look on the bright side. We have an alternate title now for the Self-Appointed Prime Minister.

He is the Chief Lottery Officer.

It seems fitting.