Prayut threatens to suspend lottery if overpricing is not resolved by June

[Lite Beer]

Prayut threatens to suspend lottery if overpricing is not resolved by June

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha threatened to suspend lottery issuance if overpricing couldn't be resolved by June

The premier’s threat came as he raised the lottery issue to public attention during his weekly Returning Happiness to Thai People TV programme Friday night.

He reiterated that lottery tickets must be sold to the people at no more than 80 baht a pair starting in June.

He advised the people to report authorities immediately if lottery vendors still defy his order to sell at 80 baht.

He said if authorities couldn’t end the long standing overpricing problem, he has to suspend issuance of lottery tickets until the problem is resolved.

Gen Prayut made clear that he intended to make the street price of lottery match its face value or at 80 baht a pair across the country.

In doing so, he said it needed to overhaul the whole lottery process, starting with the Government Lottery Office.

He said sales quotas must be reallocated once they expire to ensure fairness to all and make the sale price at 80 baht reality.

He said overpricing was caused mainly because quota holders did not sell lottery tickets by themselves directly to consumers, but sold them to dealers who then resell the tickets to distributors with price markups in each sale.

By the time the tickets hit the streets, the prices are already 90 baht a pair, he said, adding that it was then impossible for vendors to sell at 80 baht.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/prayut-threatens-to-suspend-lottery-if-overpricing-is-not-resolved-by-june

-- Thai PBS 2015-05-09

[ChrisY1]

Common sense may prevail..........finally!..........But then again........???

[JAG]

Golly! I think that is what would be called the nuclear option!

Why did he make this programme paddling in the sea?

[thaipod]

You first have to remove the so called 5 tigers and the rest of the multiple people controlling the distribution that control the sale of the tickets.

[thesetat2013]

I have to laugh at this particular thread. Doesn't P know that if he discontinues the gov lottery that it will only leave the door open for all of the small time fake of locals lottery.

[JOC]

In almost a year the coup makers have not managed to solve a simple issue like lottery prices!!

And they are supposed to run the country......................

Lord have mercy!!

[clockman]

They have been conning the people, from day one. Everybody is corrupt. Every sector of society needs to dismantled. It needs year zero. But, T.I.T.

[JOC]

Dear Mr P.

Have your ever heard about on-line lottery??

Run by the Ministry of Finance, no middlemen needed. And all the able bodied lottery sellers (95% of the lot) could get a real job and contribute to the countrys economy.

Too simple??......................................

[Lite Beer]

PM: Lottery tickets must be sold at THB 80 by June

BANGKOK, 9 May 2015 (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said the government needs to enforce Section 44 of the temporary constitution to solve the problem of overpriced government lottery tickets. The premier vowed to help people buy lottery tickets at 80 baht by June 2015.

The PM on Friday said on his weekly TV program that the government was determined to tackle the problem overpriced government lottery tickets since it had afflicted low-income people for a long time. The government had spent more than eight months dealing with the problem in a normal legal system but to no avail. The government therefore had to use Section 44 to help people buy a lottery ticket at 80 baht, said Gen. Prayut.

If the government failed to end overpriced lottery tickets by June 2015, it might have to temporarily cancel lottery sales in order to overhaul the lottery system, the prime minister said.

-- NNT 2015-05-09

[Strangebrew]

Ok I arrive June so better have it done or else it will get real ugly real quick.

[Oziex1]

Who is he talking to, I thought he was the head of the lotto board.

If he can't solve the problem, it's because it's in the hands of elite untouchables.

[aripengu]

Uuuuuh! Doctor Prayuth may get in trouble if he suspends the lottery, I mean you can take away unimportant things like freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and get away with it, but the sacred lottery that is going to spark an uprising of unknown dimensions!

[Vogele123]

Golly! I think that is what would be called the nuclear option!

Why did he make this programme paddling in the sea?

Because he is about as smart as King Canute - or a soft shelled crab!

[mathias67]

Common sense may prevail..........finally!..........But then again........???

Where does he get 90Bt a ticket, most vendors advertise 100-110Bt and street vendors ask 120Bt so where does he get his prices from

[Always18]

When I saw this headline I thought of several suitable responses but, happily, all the previous posters have beaten me to it!

[rebelplatoon]

Interesting to see how this'll evolve...

[ddavidovsky]

The vendors add value by providing convenient local points of sale that the lottery organisers don't. If local vendors are not allowed to make a profit, there will be no local points of sale, lots of poor people's jobs lost, and lottery sales will go down. Is that what they want?

Either provide official local outlets at the right price or let the market decide the appropriate price of the added value for local points of sale. People have so far been prepared to pay the extra. What's the problem?

[Chaz1819]

I have to laugh at this particular thread. Doesn't P know that if he discontinues the gov lottery that it will only leave the door open for all of the small time fake of locals lottery.

The local, small time fake lottery has a much better pay out than the government lottery so most people prefer it. Unfortunately, the numbers come from the government lottery so if he shuts it down they will have to suspend our beloved local small time lottery! :-(

[Chaz1819]

The vendors add value by providing convenient local points of sale that the lottery organisers don't. If local vendors are not allowed to make a profit, there will be no local points of sale, lots of poor people's jobs lost, and lottery sales will go down. Is that what they want?

Either provide official local outlets at the right price or let the market decide the appropriate price of the added value for local points of sale. People have so far been prepared to pay the extra. What's the problem?

Spot on David! The simple solution often has some pretty complicated problems come along with it.

Many, many people make there living reselling the lottery tickets at a mark up. If someone asks me to pay an extra 20 baht for the privilege of having them walk the ticket to me, that's up to me if I want to pay it.

The real question here is why the fuss? Why does the good general want so badly to fix something that no one seems to have a problem with?

Although he does get to jump and shout about how he fixed the 'problem' of the poor getting overcharged .... And the only ones that get hurt and loss money, by him fixing the problem, are the poor!

He is smarter than most people think lol

[casindonet]

Dear Mr P.

Have your ever heard about on-line lottery??

Run by the Ministry of Finance, no middlemen needed. And all the able bodied lottery sellers (95% of the lot) could get a real job and contribute to the countrys economy.

Too simple??......................................

Yup....too simple & just imagine the ripple effect of it. There won't be any labour shortage in thailand, thus it will also eliminate the human trafficking issues. Too many people will be out of business:-SS

[phil2407]

If gambling like Hi/Low and gambling in Thailand is illegal - what makes the lottery different? Is it because you exchange money for a piece of paper (and just wait and see)

[RigPig]

PM: Lottery tickets must be sold at THB 80 by June

BANGKOK, 9 May 2015 (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said the government needs to enforce Section 44 of the temporary constitution to solve the problem of overpriced government lottery tickets. The premier vowed to help people buy lottery tickets at 80 baht by June 2015.

The PM on Friday said on his weekly TV program that the government was determined to tackle the problem overpriced government lottery tickets since it had afflicted low-income people for a long time. The government had spent more than eight months dealing with the problem in a normal legal system but to no avail. The government therefore had to use Section 44 to help people buy a lottery ticket at 80 baht, said Gen. Prayut.

If the government failed to end overpriced lottery tickets by June 2015, it might have to temporarily cancel lottery sales in order to overhaul the lottery system, the prime minister said.

-- NNT 2015-05-09

¨the government needs to enforce Section 44¨

¨The government therefore had to use Section 44 to help people buy a lottery ticket at 80 baht, said Gen. Prayut.¨

At least he found something useful to do with it that will keep the masses happy hahaha

[RigPig]

Uuuuuh! Doctor Prayuth may get in trouble if he suspends the lottery, I mean you can take away unimportant things like freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and get away with it, but the sacred lottery that is going to spark an uprising of unknown dimensions!

And / or the Thai soap operas, I don´t want to think about that one, even he isn that game..... surely not....

[RigPig]

Common sense may prevail..........finally!..........But then again........???

Where does he get 90Bt a ticket, most vendors advertise 100-110Bt and street vendors ask 120Bt so where does he get his prices from

Hmmmmm maybe that is the problem? They are trying to stop that, it is (supposed to be) 80 Baht for a pair of tickets (apparently)......

[RigPig]

The vendors add value by providing convenient local points of sale that the lottery organisers don't. If local vendors are not allowed to make a profit, there will be no local points of sale, lots of poor people's jobs lost, and lottery sales will go down. Is that what they want?

Either provide official local outlets at the right price or let the market decide the appropriate price of the added value for local points of sale. People have so far been prepared to pay the extra. What's the problem?

No they are just changing who is the ¨beneficiary¨ of the commission....

New management, that´s all

[ChrisY1]

Common sense may prevail..........finally!..........But then again........???

Where does he get 90Bt a ticket, most vendors advertise 100-110Bt and street vendors ask 120Bt so where does he get his prices from

Hmmmmm maybe that is the problem? They are trying to stop that, it is (supposed to be) 80 Baht for a pair of tickets (apparently)......

Well....in reality...it's not feasable to have an online lottery......not so many Thais are connected....IMO, the lottery should be discontinued as it's the only way to cut out the hi-so wholesalers.....and that's where he's having problems.......it's all about the wealthy......!

[Leung Falang]

Dear Mr P.

Have your ever heard about on-line lottery??

Run by the Ministry of Finance, no middlemen needed. And all the able bodied lottery sellers (95% of the lot) could get a real job and contribute to the countrys economy.

Too simple??......................................

7-11 should apply as well as small shops everywhere

[nolabuff]

I'm not sure what's more ridiculous, this government actually thinking this is a major problem or the proposed solution to it. I guess it's obvious why Prayut is trying to solve it, they've lost face by promising to for a year. In hindsight, every reasonable observer realizes that it's not such a simple problem to solve without ruffling some feathers.

Since actually modernizing the system doesn't appear to be an option since it would actually take courage to stand up to the lotto companies, they are left with two others. One, leave the system as is, allow for the profits at the multiple distribution levels and people will still buy tickets for 100 baht. Two, force vendors to sell it for 80 baht by promising to buy back their unused tickets, greatly diminishing government profits from the system. Option two is simply a strategy to tick off as few of people as possible, which could be construed as the type of populism this junta promised to eliminate.

[FangFerang]

I have to laugh at this particular thread. Doesn't P know that if he discontinues the gov lottery that it will only leave the door open for all of the small time fake of locals lottery.

The local, small time fake lottery has a much better pay out than the government lottery so most people prefer it. Unfortunately, the numbers come from the government lottery so if he shuts it down they will have to suspend our beloved local small time lottery! :-(

Actually, no. They can base their numbers on stock index volumes, price variants, and lots of other numbers. Hell, they could even assign numbers based on the lottery draws from European lotteries. They are all posted online.

Now wouldn't that stick a firebrand in the tigers back ends?

[NongKhaiKid]

The country is up to its neck in problems with air safety, fishing, human trafficking etc yet PM Leo Sayer, ' I'm a One Man Band ' hit is involved in sorting the lottery as a promised priority.

It is of course important to public happiness so must be important to the govt meanwhile are real major issues which could damage the country receiving the attention they deserve ? Well, other govts and organisations will understand and give extensions to sort the problems and if they don't it's unfair.