Friday, November 24, 2006

Two wrongs do not make a right. Thus, the decision by the government of
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to continue and legalise the sale of two-
and three-digit lottery tickets is on a par with that made by the Thaksin
administration three years ago when it launched the lottery scheme,
apparently in full knowledge that this was against the law. Given the
massive underground gambling in two- and three-digit lottery numbers, which
fetched illegal bookmakers a whopping revenue of billions of baht each year,
the Thaksin government envisioned the lottery scheme as a new cash cow
through which it could make fast and easy money to fund populist projects
and enrich cronies. After all, revenues earned from the scheme by the
Government Lottery Office (GLO) did not go to the state coffers. Neither was
spending regulated by the state. The rationale cited then for the launch of
the lottery scheme was to counter massive underground lottery gambling. In
other words: Why let the illegal bookmakers have the pie all to themselves?
To justify the continuation of the two- and three-digit lottery gambling,
which was temporarily suspended after the Council of State ruled it illegal,
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula reasoned
this was necessary to prevent the underground lottery business from staging
a comeback. Realising the social impact from gambling on the lottery, he
said the government would introduce measures to curb it, including a ban on
lottery advertising and the termination of live telecasts of lottery draws.
No matter the rationale cited for keeping the lottery scheme going, the
Surayud government has clearly shown it lacks the political and moral will
to right the wrong committed by its predecessor _ although this government
has a totally different view as to how revenues generated from the lottery
scheme should be spent. There is no denying that tens of thousands of people
have been making a living selling lotteries. These people would certainly be
affected if the lottery scheme were scrapped permanently. Also, it is true
that vast numbers of people, mostly in the low-income bracket, who are
hooked on gambling, would turn to the underground lottery anyway.
By legalising the lottery scheme, the government is giving a new lease of
life to the lottery vendors but, at the same time, is enabling gamblers to
continue trying their luck, albeit legally. The latest decision may also
spare the government from being confronted by possible protests from lottery
vendors _ which could be one of the chief reasons prompting the government
to quickly resume the sale of two- and three-digit lotteries.

Obviously, the government has taken the convenient way out in resolving this
problem, without proper consideration of the moral aspect and other measures
to deal with underground lottery gambling. The proper way to prevent
underground gambling from resurging is not to legalise gambling, but to make
sure the police do their job of effectively suppressing illegal gambling.

The lottery scheme is contentious and must not be rushed, even though the
government wants to see it re-launched by Dec 30. Members of the National
Legislative Assembly should be given enough time to debate the various
aspects of the issue without being pressured into meeting the tentative
deadline.

One assemblyman, Chamlong Srimuang, who opposes the lottery, has suggested
that the Assembly set up a committee to gauge public opinion on the matter.
He said the committee should be given a month to do the job.

Since the government has erred in its attempt to legalise the lottery
scheme, it must avoid making a second mistake by trying to ram its amendment
bill on this matter through the Assembly. At least, it should seriously
consider Mr Chamlong's suggestion.