Online lottery looks like a winner in Thai poll
News on 10 Aug 2009
News on 10 Aug 2009
The proposal to take the Thai lottery online, bogged down for years by bureaucratic delays but recently left for public opinion to decide looks as if it could be a winner.
The Bangkok Post reports that the latest survey revealed that many respondents supported the legalisation of the online lottery scheme.
The Dusit Poll conducted a survey on the plan to legalise the long-delayed two- and three-digit online lottery scheme, and the result was a positive indication of public acceptance.
63.80 percent said an online lottery would help tackle the high prices of underground lottery tickets, allowing players to pick any number they wanted.
24.58 percent opposed the scheme on fears that it may encourage a dangerous expansion in gambling.
11.62 percent were indifferent on the issue.
But it appears an educational drive on the practicalities of an Internet based lottery may be necessary: 46.85 percent of respondents said they did not know how the online lottery would operate; 30.63 percent were ‘fairly’ aware of how it was played while 18.2 percent did understand it at all. Only 4.50 percent said they were well informed on the way the Internet game would be played.
Asked about the scheme’s benefits, 26.32 percent said it would generate more revenue for the government to help develop the country; 21.93 percent said legalising it would make the lottery more convenient and accessibile for players. 19.30 percent opined that an online lottery could bring down the ticket prices, and 17.54 percent believed the scheme, if approved, could help end the illegal lottery problem.
14.91 percent were confident that online lottery buyers would not be cheated.
28.92 percent wanted the government to strictly regulate the lottery activities to prevent the underaged from gambling; 23.14 percent said the government should educate people about the online lottery so they would not overplay it. 19.02 percent would like to here more from the government on the scheme’s benefits.
18.53 percent said online lottery machines should not be located near temples or schools while 10.39 percent said closed circuit cameras should be set up near distribution machines as a monitoring precaution.
