5 hours Ago
The government may reconsider the sale of three-digit lottery tickets, or N3, if the experimental phase fails to effectively address the issue of underground lotteries. According to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat, the Government Lottery Office (GLO) is conducting a trial sale of N3 lottery tickets through a sandbox system, with two rounds already implemented. However, he said the trial has not met the government's goals thus far.
Mr Julapun said the first issue is the relatively low prize value, failing to attract buyers. Unlike underground lotteries, which allow credit-based purchases or deferred payments, the GLO does not offer such a system. A determination is needed on whether the N3 lottery can effectively address the problem of underground lotteries, he said.
With the N3 lottery in the trial phase in a sandbox system, no decision has been made yet on whether to continue the project, said Mr Julapun. The government is expected to monitor the lottery for 2-3 more months to develop a clearer picture of any obstacles, its popularity and whether it can ultimately replace underground lotteries, he said. If the N3 lottery starts to compete with the six-digit lottery (L6), both in paper and digital formats, the feasibility and viability of continuing the N3 lottery will need to be reassessed, said Mr Julapun.
"The goal of the N3 lottery is not revenue generation. If it's deemed inefficient, its sale can be discontinued, as it is still in the sandbox phase," he said. "I instructed the GLO to monitor the performance of the N3.
" Regarding the digital L6 lottery's Nov 16 draw, which was the first to have nearly 1 million tickets unsold, Mr Julapun said this is a temporary issue and not a structural problem. He attributed the lower demand to various factors such as the floods and the public's increased spending during the Loy Krathong festival, which reduced their disposable income. The government launched the pilot phase of the N3 lottery last month, aiming to tackle lottery overpricing and curb underground lotteries.
Underground lotteries in Thailand are estimated to be worth between 100 billion and 300 billion baht annually. The GLO wants to capture a portion of this market through the N3 lottery..
