GLO holds public hearings

BANGKOK, April 14 (TNA) -- The Government Lottery Office (GLO) is now holding public hearings nationwide about is plan to issue lottery tickets in sets for sale, aimed at solving inflated prices set by traders in the past decades, said GLO deputy director Tumthong Musikarat. GLO officials are currently compiling details obtained from public hearings as it plans to go ahead to issue new lottery sets in which five tickets with the same numbers are compiled into one set with a jackpot of 300 million baht late this year. Presently, the face value of each lottery is 80 baht. But it is sold at between 100-150 baht each after traders complained that they have to buy lottery from middlemen at a much higher prices. Ms Tumthong said she expected that public hearings would be complete this June. After completion, answers will be summarised and forward to GLO executive board for consideration and approval, she said, adding that GLO could issue lottery tickets in sets for sale around October or November this year. GLO spokesman Thanawat Polvichai said earlier that that the GLO is open to opinions of lottery buyers, estimated to number 20 million, about 100,000 lottery vendors nationwide and over 100 NGOs regarding the lottery tickets in sets. Questions to be asked from these respondents includes what types of lottery sets they like and where they are to be sold, said Mr Thanawat. Lottery results are now announced twice a month, on the first and sixteenth. (TNA)