January 5 - Thailand's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed his
concerns over the effect of the online lottery on the nation's society
and said that he was seeking steps to remove the lottery.
At present, Thailand is under contractual obligation to allow online lottery
through a deal that the Government Lottery Office signed with Loxley GTech
Technology in 2005.
Speaking about the lottery, Abhisit said that the was aware that the
government had obligations and he was seeking ways to solve these issues
"smoothly".
"I do not want the online lottery but I must solve the problem of obligations
under the contract," he said in an interview.
"I will try to find a way out," he added. "From my point of view, I see the
cons of the online lottery. It is can be avoided, it should be."
Not everybody shares the Prime Minister's view, though. Opposition Member of
Parliament, Surapong Towijakcahikul, who represents the Puea Thai Party,
expressed his disapproval of the plans.
He said that if the online lottery did not launch as planned, there would be
adverse effects. He warned that students would not receive education
opportunities that an online lottery could fund, and that illegal lottery
bookmakers would continue to scam the public.
The government has, in the meantime, established a committee to find ways to
dismantle the online lottery, all the while taking into consideration that it is
legally bound to Loxley GTech.
The CEO of Loxley, Trijak Tansupasiri said that it should be up to the public
to decide regarding the future of the online lottery.
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