The Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has given the green light for the Government Lottery Office (GLO) to implement the long-awaited and controversial online version of the national lottery, reports the Bangkok Post business section.
It’s a project that has been plagued with halts and starts, political argument and commercial controversy, but in recent times a committee chaired by Kiat Sittheeamorn, president of Thailand Trade, was tasked with resolving the online lottery problem and decided that the GLO should base it on the same six-digit format as the paper lottery.
The resolution received a positive reaction from the GLO and other relevant agencies.
Kiat said implementation could come 4-6 months after the GLO board votes its formal approval.
The GLO may first hold a pilot online lottery for a special charitable purpose at a value of almost 15 billion baht over a five-year period, in accordance with cabinet resolutions last month, the newspaper reports.
Kiat said his committee had recommended that tickets should cost about 40 baht each, with 5,000 vending machines installed initially out of the maximum of 12,000 approved by government.
