80-baht price control takes toll on small Thai lottery vendors

[Thai at Heart]

The street vendors should just jack it in and let the corporate hi so fat cats behind these big distributors walk the streets themselves.....

I dont understand the nuances behind this, but from a simplistic view it seems that the big retailers are keeping a good margin and when the NCPO force the little people to sell at 80 baht, there is simply no margin left anymore.

Seems that the little people are getting shafted again. Would be interested to see the names behind and bidding process of the companies that won the concessions for the lottery distribution..... no doubt it would make interesting reading....

Good post smutcakes.

Why can the lottery ticket sellers get the tickets direct from the lottery office? Is it really necessary for the middlemen, agents or whatever, to be involved marking the tickets up so much that the seller hardly makes a small profit to live on?

Just like the rice deal, the farmers and lottery vendors are at the end of the food chain. Once again the little man and woman lose.

Check that out please P.M.P..

Is there a business in Thailand that doesn't have a middleman?

[ldiablo]

@h90. In your logic you would expect to see a paraplegic working in a rice field or riding a motorcycle taxi, etc etc. And it's starve to death, not starve to dead.

[BritTim]

Returned AFTER the draw..it was my understanding that they were dated. No?

If I was a vendor I would definitely LOVE that idea. Keep one of each number. Check for winning numbers, handing those to a friend to be cashed in. Return the losing tickets for a refund. Nice!

[Basil B]

The simple answer is to give legit lottery sellers access to tickets tickets at the correct price, time to prosecute wholesalers who overcharge, a fine at lest a hundred times the 10,000B the sellers face should be the order of the day.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Basil B

[casualbiker]

Returned AFTER the draw..it was my understanding that they were dated. No?

If I was a vendor I would definitely LOVE that idea. Keep one of each number. Check for winning numbers, handing those to a friend to be cashed in. Return the losing tickets for a refund. Nice!

OK right. Because obviously they are going to allocate 500 tickets.. And take 400 back.. There would obviously have to be safeguards in place.. Or do what other countries do and sell directly with all the TV splendour of a weekly circus show.. And then allocate money to charitable causes.. Because that would certainly be transparent, wouldn't it?

[Artisi]

@colin. Your comment shows just how stupid you are. How long do you think it would take a person to sell 1000 lottery tickets to make a profit of 6000B. Sounds like a full time job to me. And for some of these poor individuals the selling of lottery tickets is their only means of getting any form of income for many various reasons none of which I will bother wasting my time explaining to Mr. Braindead.

I made a constructive valid point, 6,000baht is a good wage especially for someone from the provinces. If you don't like it so be it, but no need to call me Stupid, because that I am not.

It would actually be 12 thousand as the lottery is twice a month.

Provided all tickets are sold.

[djjamie]

I reckon they should not fix or regulate the price at all. Let the market sort it out.

If people sell for 120 baht a ticket let the next guy sell for 110 baht a ticket to attract the customers. He will then be undercut by the next guy who sells it for 90 baht a ticket.

What next? Regulate the price of a steak and chips...

Edited June 12, 2015 by djjamie

[h90]

@h90. In your logic you would expect to see a paraplegic working in a rice field or riding a motorcycle taxi, etc etc. And it's starve to death, not starve to dead.

The paraplegic is a valid argument and I see some selling lottery.....

But for every sick one I see about 10 healthy one.

What about only give the lottery to disabled one...problem fixed. Low margin but less competition and 10 times as much sales.

[ttthailand]

They just need to hold firm with the 80 baht a ticket and let it play out. Sooner or later the middle men will get tired of getting stuck with tens of thousands of unsold tickets and will have to lower their profit and raise the sellers profit.

[ttthailand]

I reckon they should not fix or regulate the price at all. Let the market sort it out.

If people sell for 120 baht a ticket let the next guy sell for 110 baht a ticket to attract the customers. He will then be undercut by the next guy who sells it for 90 baht a ticket.

What next? Regulate the price of a steak and chips...

one possible problem with that approach is that some people will not buy if too high a price thus the government might end up in the long run loosing money. I think 7/11 should take over and sell for below the 80 baht price as they already have everything in place to sell just like all other countries who have a lotto system and sold in 7/11s.

It really is just a matter of greed on the part of the middle man

[ttthailand]

If they live in Loei (that's close to Laos) and go all the way to Chonburi just to sell lottery tickets. Then there must be some profit for them. I don't belive they only make 6 baht in profit for each ticket they sell.......

if they make 6 baht now selling at 80 baht then they made crazy profit selling at 100 baht.... 26 baht profit just selling one ticket.

[BritTim]

If I was a vendor I would definitely LOVE that idea. Keep one of each number. Check for winning numbers, handing those to a friend to be cashed in. Return the losing tickets for a refund. Nice!

OK right. Because obviously they are going to allocate 500 tickets.. And take 400 back.. There would obviously have to be safeguards in place.. Or do what other countries do and sell directly with all the TV splendour of a weekly circus show.. And then allocate money to charitable causes.. Because that would certainly be transparent, wouldn't it?

Actually, what I had in mind was sell 400, have a friend cash in about 2 and return 98. However, even if I sold all I could, I think I might just check the tickets I had left for winners before returning them.

The real solution is unclear. Buying online would be a more efficient method of distribution, but some vendors are disabled people who do need this as a way of making a living. Gamblers want to choose their own numbers, so a scratch card type system (that would make returns feasible) is not going to fly. What else? The current system, if fairly applied, is not bad.

[Robroona]

@colin. Your comment shows just how stupid you are. How long do you think it would take a person to sell 1000 lottery tickets to make a profit of 6000B. Sounds like a full time job to me. And for some of these poor individuals the selling of lottery tickets is their only means of getting any form of income for many various reasons none of which I will bother wasting my time explaining to Mr. Braindead.

I made a constructive valid point, 6,000baht is a good wage especially for someone from the provinces. Its a job an uneducated person can do they have not studied for a university degree and probably not even finished high school so again 6,000 baht is a good wage, If you don't like it so be it, but no need to call me Stupid, because that I am not.

I'd back up the being stupid bit. Ticket sellers are out all day in the sun, moving around looking for customers. Even in busy places like Pattaya, it's hard, but the rural areas where vendors run around on bicycles, numbers are fewer, wages are lower,therefore harder to sell.

Spare a thought while reflecting on your new title of Stupid for all the lottery ticket vendors who are aged and/or disabled.

[colinthailand20005]

@colin. Your comment shows just how stupid you are. How long do you think it would take a person to sell 1000 lottery tickets to make a profit of 6000B. Sounds like a full time job to me. And for some of these poor individuals the selling of lottery tickets is their only means of getting any form of income for many various reasons none of which I will bother wasting my time explaining to Mr. Braindead.

I made a constructive valid point, 6,000baht is a good wage especially for someone from the provinces. Its a job an uneducated person can do they have not studied for a university degree and probably not even finished high school so again 6,000 baht is a good wage, If you don't like it so be it, but no need to call me Stupid, because that I am not.

I'd back up the being stupid bit. Ticket sellers are out all day in the sun, moving around looking for customers. Even in busy places like Pattaya, it's hard, but the rural areas where vendors run around on bicycles, numbers are fewer, wages are lower,therefore harder to sell.

Spare a thought while reflecting on your new title of Stupid for all the lottery ticket vendors who are aged and/or disabled.

[fforest1]

I still pay 110 Baht for my lottery tickets,because this the proper price to pay if you care

to support the vendors...You know what I will keep paying 110 baht per ticket each and

every time I buy lottery tickets from now on.

I suggest everyone do the same.

Edited June 12, 2015 by fforest1

[BritTim]

I still pay 110 Baht for my lottery tickets,because this the proper price to pay if you care

to support the vendors...You know what I will keep paying 110 baht per ticket each and

every time I buy lottery tickets from now on.

I suggest everyone do the same.

Why not just give them 39.60 and let them keep the ticket if you are doing this as a charitable contribution. The vendor makes the same amount and you avoid making a bad investment.

[Saan]

I don't understand these people, 6,000 baht profit isn't enough, the lottery is not supposed to be a primary source of income.

Really they don't like it is because they can't scam us now!

If they don't like it, go home there will be someone else to replace them.

I think it is pretty rich a falang telling Thais (these people), in Thailand, to go home.

Perhaps the message should be reversed 'if you don't like it go home'.

It is pathetic reading about falang who gets his balls in a knot over the few baht poor lottery sellers make.

[LennyW]

@colin. Your comment shows just how stupid you are. How long do you think it would take a person to sell 1000 lottery tickets to make a profit of 6000B. Sounds like a full time job to me. And for some of these poor individuals the selling of lottery tickets is their only means of getting any form of income for many various reasons none of which I will bother wasting my time explaining to Mr. Braindead.

I made a constructive valid point, 6,000baht is a good wage especially for someone from the provinces. If you don't like it so be it, but no need to call me Stupid, because that I am not.

It would actually be 12 thousand as the lottery is twice a month.

It would be 12,000 a month if they sold them all. I expect many don't.

Would you expect to buy a sandwich or a drink in a shop for the price the shop paid for it ? or do you agree it is ok for a shop to make some profit to allow it to continue trading. Yet people are against some poor sole who has to spend 12-14 hours a day trudging the streets to try to make a few baht.

Which part of buying for 74 baht and selling for 80 baht escaped you? your post does not make a lot of sense?

[stephenterry]

I still pay 110 Baht for my lottery tickets,because this the proper price to pay if you care

to support the vendors...You know what I will keep paying 110 baht per ticket each and

every time I buy lottery tickets from now on.

I suggest everyone do the same.

Why not just give them 39.60 and let them keep the ticket if you are doing this as a charitable contribution. The vendor makes the same amount and you avoid making a bad investment.

Selling a ticket at over 35 baht profit - that's a huge mark-up, and one I never supported. Nevertheless, selling at 80 baht when the middlemen have creamed off their mark-up is too low. I am sure most people would be happy to pay 90 baht, and everyone would be happy.

As an aside, yesterday I bought a 80 baht ticket and the vendor gifted me a fresh egg as a promotion.

[oneday]

This is what you get when you have people making decisions about something they haven't thoroughly studied. I think some decisions take way too long in my country, but here in Thailand critical decisions are made way too fast, IMO.

You can't lower the price of these tickets if you don't lower the price all along the supply chain. The people at the end of this chain are the poorest people just trying to make a living. The middlemen are still living like fat cats because they haven't been forced to reduce the price they sell at.

[jacky54]

I still pay 110 Baht for my lottery tickets,because this the proper price to pay if you care

to support the vendors...You know what I will keep paying 110 baht per ticket each and

every time I buy lottery tickets from now on.

I suggest everyone do the same.

I think petrol is underpriced so might insist on paying 30 baht a liter to 'support' petronas

[shaurene]

I have been reading all your comments, none of you came up with "The sellers bringing this onto themselves"

Few years ago in Pattaya they came around and you could buy for 90bt. We were ok with that but then they started 100 with some pushing for 110bt. We even had some trying for 120bt.

Now there must have been complaints gone in and it has gotten to to Top.

All I can say really is you brought it on your selves being to greedy.

Who agrees with this.

[Praematura]

I don't understand these people, 6,000 baht profit isn't enough, the lottery is not supposed to be a primary source of income.

Really they don't like it is because they can't scam us now!

If they don't like it, go home there will be someone else to replace them.

You go support a family on $40-50 a week. Come back and let us know how that worked out for you.

[Bakseeda]

Does anyone know the cost of the books to the lottery agents or wholesalers?

Yes, the 5 tigers, each pay 380bahts a book of 10... but buy many books and redistribute to other wholesalers and then to the street gang leaders who in turn sell to the street sellers who then sell on to you and me... and many times there is a third wholesaler in there.... The lady I normally buy my single ticket from, she took my 100 bahts and offered no change this week until I pointed out her 80baht sign.. I felt bad to take it ..But.... the only way to hurt the guys at the top is to squeeze from the bottom up..! This very corrupt lottery needs to be ran similar the Eurolottery as there is no shortage of 7/11 shops to cover the nation.. and it needs much more transparency from the start to finish.... I don't think we would be surprised if we saw a list of the "big" prize winners over the last 10 years.. a nudge and a wink..!

[glasswort]

I could never understand the old method of pricing tickets and this must be the only country in the world where a lottery ticket costs more than its face value, or at least used to. It appears to me that the end of the line vendors purchase their tickets from an agent who seem not to have altered their prices. The answer must be to control the prices that the agents charge.

[masquerade]

@colin. Your comment shows just how stupid you are. How long do you think it would take a person to sell 1000 lottery tickets to make a profit of 6000B. Sounds like a full time job to me. And for some of these poor individuals the selling of lottery tickets is their only means of getting any form of income for many various reasons none of which I will bother wasting my time explaining to Mr. Braindead.

I made a constructive valid point, 6,000baht is a good wage especially for someone from the provinces. Its a job an uneducated person can do they have not studied for a university degree and probably not even finished high school so again 6,000 baht is a good wage, If you don't like it so be it, but no need to call me Stupid, because that I am not.

Calling you stupid is a compliment after reading the crap you wrote. So you believe 200 baht a day, working every day for 30 days is enough to live on. Take your superior than tho attitude and ram it were the sun don't shine. It is idiots like you that make it bad for others.

[masquerade]

I have been reading all your comments, none of you came up with "The sellers bringing this onto themselves"

Few years ago in Pattaya they came around and you could buy for 90bt. We were ok with that but then they started 100 with some pushing for 110bt. We even had some trying for 120bt.

Now there must have been complaints gone in and it has gotten to to Top.

All I can say really is you brought it on your selves being to greedy.

Who agrees with this.

The only greedy ones here are the Junta and the major wholesalers who they are protecting and no doubt receiving a kick back. The 5 tigers contracts were up, so why allow them to continue? Because it is all about the money, where it goes and to whom it goes. This country is never going to change while you have scum like these in charge.

[Pimay1]

As a previous poster has stated I say let the market determine the price of the ticket. It's not like anyone is being forced to purchase a lottery ticket. If the sellers get too greedy and the prices are set too high the tickets simply won't sell.

[ddavidovsky]

Does anyone know the cost of the books to the lottery agents or wholesalers?

Yes, the 5 tigers, each pay 380bahts a book of 10... but buy many books and redistribute to other wholesalers and then to the street gang leaders who in turn sell to the street sellers who then sell on to you and me... and many times there is a third wholesaler in there.... The lady I normally buy my single ticket from, she took my 100 bahts and offered no change this week until I pointed out her 80baht sign.. I felt bad to take it ..But.... the only way to hurt the guys at the top is to squeeze from the bottom up..! This very corrupt lottery needs to be ran similar the Eurolottery as there is no shortage of 7/11 shops to cover the nation.. and it needs much more transparency from the start to finish.... I don't think we would be surprised if we saw a list of the "big" prize winners over the last 10 years.. a nudge and a wink..!

So:

government gets 38 baht per ticket

wholesaler gets 36 baht per ticket

retailer gets 6 baht per ticket

I think we can see where the problem is.

[halloween]

There is nothing wrong with setting the final price. Supply and demand will sort out the profit margins of the wholesalers and direct sellers. Remember that the wholesalers have no refund available - if they can't get the tickets sold they will make a large loss (assuming they don't get lucky and win), so they either withdraw from the business or allow their retailers a sufficient profit margin to make it acceptable to them.