Facts exposed on lottery, but more answers needed

The stated goal of the lottery is to help the needy – but how much of the profit is really used for that noble purpose? First, contrary to public belief for decades, there are no “five tigers” controlling distribution. On the contrary, of the 74 million tickets issued each fortnight, the biggest recipient is the GLO Foundation (12 per cent of the total), while the Association of Retired GLO Employees gets 3 per cent and three private firms share 6 per cent. 

Some questions: Why does the GLO Foundation get so many tickets? How have the profits been used? Have all expenditures been examined by a credible auditor? Why do GLO pensioners get a quota but not other government retirees? Given that the GLO is a monopoly, why does the GLO spend about Bt8 billion per year selling the tickets? Why can’t the distribution chain be very short?

The anti-corruption authorities should look into the matter urgently now that we know the “five tigers” claim was a sham. We must ensure that the massive profits go to achieve their laudable goal – not into somebody’s pocket. 

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok