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THAILAND LOTTERY NEWS - 2001
Government Lottery Office Director Stood
Down BANGKOK, Thailand (December 26, 2001) -- According
to domestic news sources Thailand's Deputy Finance Minister
Varathep Ratanakorn has ordered the Government Lottery Office
(GLO) board to temporarily relieve Mr Chaiwat of his directorship
to ensure a smooth investigation of the alleged rigging of the
June 1 lottery draw.........Subscribers
Police Want Seven Indicted For Draw
Rigging, Prosecutors Handed Report, Videotapes
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 20, 2001) -- A panel of
prosecutors will consider a police report recommending the indictment
of seven suspects for the alleged June 1 lottery scam where................Subscribers
Illegal Lottery Supported by Millions
of Players '
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 18, 2001) -- According to
local news sources a recent study shows that Thais spend about
Bt325 billion a year on gambling, legal and illegal, and about
23.7 million people play the underground lottery regularly...................Subscribers
Suspects in Lottery Scandal May Not
be Indicted Due to Lack of Evidence
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 16, 2001) -- The 'Bangkok Post'
quoted an un-named source yesterday as saying the five suspects
in the June 1 lottery scam could walk free because the police
evidence against them is "very poor"................Subscribers
Panel Says Lottery Draw Was Compromised
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 13, 2001) -- The 'Bangkok
Post' reported yesterday that a Finance Ministry committee
investigating the June 1 lottery scam says there are sufficient
grounds to believe the results were..........Subscribers
Police Bring More Charges Against Key
Suspect in Lottery Scandal
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 12, 2001) -- Two additional charges
are being brought against a key suspect in the alleged rigging
of the Government Lottery Office's (GLO) June 1 lottery draw.
According to the 'Bangkok Post' Narong Unpaet will also
be charged with being a member of a criminal gang and cheating
the public. Mr Narong and two other men had earlier been arrested
and charged with illegally influencing the June 1 result and
released on bail.
Another key suspect in the case, Mr Pichai an influential figure
in Lop Buri, surrendered to police on Sunday and was also charged
with cheating the public.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Police Freeze Assets of Suspects in
Lottery Scandal, One Missing Suspect Believed Murdered
BANGKOK Thailand (December 3, 2001) -- According to
local news sources Police have frozen about 29 million baht
in cash belonging to people suspected of involvement in lottery
rigging after the Money Laundering Commission joined the inquiry
into the manipulated June 1 draw. Pol Col Peeraphan Premputi,
the commission secretary-general, said yesterday............Subscribers
Government Lottery Office Modifies Drawing
Equipment For Latest Draw
BANGKOK, Thailand (December 2, 2001) -- The Government
Lottery Office (GLO) used modified equipment in drawing yesterday's
first-prize lottery. Finance permanent secretary Somchainuk
Engtrakul, chairman of the GLO board, said...........Subscribers
Thailand's Government Lottery Moves
to Restore Trust; VIP's Invited to Join December Draw
BANGKOK, Thailand (Novemner 28, 2001) -- The Government
Lottery Office (GLO) will invite..............Subscribers
Scandal Tarnishes Lottery Image
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 26, 2001) -- According to local
news sources the alleged rigging of the June 1 lottery draw
has damaged the credibility of the Government Lottery Office
(GLO) beyond...........Subscribers
Examination Finds No Evidence Draw Equipment
Was Tampered With
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 27, 2001) -- According to local
news sources police scientists have found no evidence of dyes,
other chemicals or saliva on the balls and equipment used in
the controversial drawing of the June 1 lottery. However, the
Scientific Crime Detection Division believe the equipment had.................Subscribers
Thai Prime Minister Acknowledges June
National Lottery Draw was Compromised
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 23, 2001) - Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra said on Friday that gangsters had rigged the Government
Lottery's draw on June 1 to claim prize money in an illegal
underground lottery..............Subscribers
Assets of Suspects in Lottery Scam to
be Frozen
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 24, 2001) -- The Anti-Money
Laundering Office will freeze assets of those suspected of involvement
in allegedly manipulating the Government Lottery Office lottery
draw of June 1, a senior agency official said yesterday. The
suspects, charged with conspiring to deceive the public, are
believed to be................Subscribers
Police Find Numbered Balls and Entry
Tickets on Suspect's Premises, Plan to Interview Government
Lottery Office Staff Member
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 23, 2001) -- A leading Bangkok newspaper
reported today that Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police
are considering arresting a senior Government Lottery Office
(GLO) official in connection with the highly controversial June
1 lottery draw...............Subscribers
Poll Shows Vast Majority of People Believe
Lottery Draws Have Been Compromised
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 22, 2001) - A Suan Dus poll conducted
after the highly controversial Government Lottery Office (GLO)
June 1 lottery draw indicates that an overwhelming 92.3% of
the 1,280 people surveyed believe that the GLO lottery draws
have been compromised. The remainder of the participants did
not believe the draws were tampered with because no concrete
proof has so far been presented. According to the 'Nation'
the people surveyed did not seem to be upset and, as many as
40.7% said they would continue to buy lottery tickets since
it was a form of betting by chance. Another 37% gave a similar
response, saying that they did not hope to win anyway. Only
12.9% said that they might stop buying lotteries. 44.9% of those
surveyed said that allegations of lottery fixing required strict
law enforcement and investigation. 30.6% said that the GLO had
to be held responsible, while 18.4% wanted measures to prevent
the public from joining the draws.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Police Say Two Former Politicians Won
Millions in Suspect Draw
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 22, 2001) -- It was reported
yesterday that a police source investigating the alleged suspect
lottery draw of June 1 said that a former politician in Nonthaburi
won 400 million baht on the underground lottery by betting heavily
on the winning numbers. The newspaper said its source also revealed
that another ex-politician in Thon Buri also........Subscribers
Ball Drawing Manufacturer Defends Equipment,
But Says Human Intervention Makes the Process Susceptible to
Certain Risks
BANGKOK, Thailand (November 22, 2001) - The controversy
surrounding a recent Government Lottery Office (GLO) lottery
draw has prompted the designer of the drawing equipment to come
to the defense his device. Yesterday he told the..............Subscribers
Police Arrest Suspect in Lottery Scandal,
Allege Draw Was Compromised
BANGKOK (November 21, 2001) -- According to local news
sources Police allege influential gamblers compromised the Government
Lottery Office's (GLO) lottery draw of June 1. And, according
to the 'Bangkok Post' police also believe some GLO officials
might be involved in the............Subscribers
Lottery Submits More Lotto Balls for
Testing Following Allegations of Draw Rigging
BANGKOK (June 19, 2001) -- Another basket of balls were
handed to police investigating charges that a recent lottery
drawing was manipulated, the 'Bangkok Post' reported
yesterday. According to the 'Post' Pol Col Thavorn Suthivanich,
commander of the Scientific Crime Detection Division, said the
Government Lottery Office sent him another 57 balls yesterday
after Pol Maj-Gen Amporn Jarujinda asked for more suspect balls
last week. Three balls containing the last three digits of the
first prize had been earlier handed to the division after the
June 1 first-prize draw raised suspicions that it had been manipulated.
Last week, the 'Thai Rath Daily' reported that the winning
number, 113311, was manipulated by underground lottery operators
because some of the balls used in drawing the first prize had
been painted with a chemical visible only to people wearing
special contact lenses. Pictures of two members of the drawing
committee looking into containers in an apparent search for
specific balls were also published in the paper. Pol Col Thavorn
said verification of the 57 balls was likely to be completed
within three days. The division did not find any chemical traces
on the first three balls as suspected.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Inquiry Into Lottery Draw, Thai lottery
Officials Accused of Fixing Draw With Invisible Chemicals
BANGKOK, Thailand (June 16, 2001) -- According to local news
sources Thai authorities are investigating claims that lottery
officials coated lottery balls with a chemical visible only
through special glasses. Numerous reports from the region allege
the two draw officials stared at the balls for a long time before
choosing them. Apparently, the balls are identical on the outside
and contain the numbers inside.
The Government has set up an inquiry. The 'Straits Times'
said the Government Lottery Office (GLO), which organises the
televised draw, denies there has been any wrongdoing.
Finance permanent secretary Somchainuek Engtrakul, the GLO board
chairman, said the draw was clean. He said the man pictured
might have had trouble getting hold of the balls. Nevertheless,
he said the man would be invited for questioning. Chaiwat Prasobpakdi,
the GLO director, also dismissed the possibility that lottery
officials had colluded with underground operators to rig the
draw. Mr Chaiwat said senior officials had watched the video
of the draw repeatedly and checked into the background of those
who were alleged to have taken part in the fraud. One junior
air force officer and two civilians drew the disputed balls
on June 1. But the 'Thai Rath' newspaper quoted a police
source as saying a gambler bribed GLO insiders to fix the result.
The 'Asia News Network' went even further and said that
their investigations had revealed that an influential person
in boxing circles had won a lot of money on the underground
lottery as a result of the draw.
The news network said many underground lottery banks have already
changed their rules, altering their winning numbers to the fourth
official prize number instead of the first. Meanwhile, Deputy
finance minister Varathep Rattanakorn told the Bangkok Post,
"The lottery result was rather unusual, in that one of
the drawing committee members was seen acting as if he was searching
for a specific ball." There have also been rumours some
of the balls were marked. This has to be cleared up. He said
an investigation has begun and the GLO may have to look at another
method of drawing the balls.
SOURCES: The Straits Times, Thai Rath, Asia News Network and
the Bangkok Post.
Lawmakers Accused of Being Involved
in Illegal Lotteries that Turnover Bt100 Billion a Year
BANGKOK, Thailand (May 23, 2001) -- According to local news
sources Democrat deputy spokesman Chaiwat Traiyasunan has made
allegations that some Thai Rak Thai MPs are involved with underground
lotteries. The 'Nation' reports that Anan Anantakul,
the Democrat secretary-general, yesterday called on the government
to get tough with underground lotteries that, according to a
research study, generated revenue of almost Bt100 billion a
year. Trang public prosecutor Itthipon Permsri said yesterday
that the gambling case against Democrat MP Somchai Losathapornpipit
could be filed with a court within seven days, after prosecutors
obtained the police investigation report. Meanwhile, Thai Rak
Thai deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday the party
had a stringent process in recruiting election candidates and
had done its best to screen out people with improper behaviour.
Interior Minister and Thai Rak Thai secretary-general Purachai
Piumsombun also called on those who made the accusations to
supply the authorities with evidence, so that action could be
taken.
SOURCE: The Nation.
Government Lottery Office Told to Increase
Revenue
BANGKOK, Thailand (April 4, 2001) - According to the Bangkok
Post the permanent secretary for finance has ordered the Government
Lottery Office to seek ways to turn over 7.5 billion baht from
its expected earnings for 2001 instead of the estimated 4.5
billion. The Lottery office said it would study "new ways",
most probably by raising the lottery ticket price to 50 baht
from 40 baht, with bigger prizes available. The newspaper said
that if the price is increased 10 baht, the actual selling price
with agent's commission will shoot up to 120 baht for a pair
of tickets, compared with 90-100 baht now even though the face
value is 80 baht. In unrelated news, the Interior Minister Purachai
Piemsomboon has told provincial governors that they must take
responsibility for tackling illegal gambling in their provinces.
Mr Purachai said the directive was agreed at a meeting with
Chanasak Yuwaboon, the ministry's permanent secretary.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Lottery Staff Involved in Coupon Scam
BANGKOK, Thailand (April 4, 2001) - According to the
'Bangkok Post' two senior Government Lottery Office (GLO) printing
heads, Sqn-Ldr Paisan Sincharoen and Chavalit Kesawatana are
among the eight suspects arrested in connection with a fuel
subsidy scam that has cost the Petroleum Authority of Thailand
(PTT) 63 million baht. The newspaper said that the previous
government had ordered the PTT to issue fuel coupons to help
farm-truck operators cope with high fuel prices under a three-month
subsidy programme. The PTT hired the Government Lottery Office
(GLO) to print the coupons, which were distributed to the operators
who were eligible to claim free diesel at PTT stations. However,
some GLO staff had fake coupons printed by a company and conspired
with some petrol station operators to enable the use of fake
coupons to obtain free diesel oil from the PTT. The diesel subsidy
expired last December. The government is now looking for any
high-level officials who might have been involved in the scam.
The minister also ordered the PTT to stop issuing all complimentary
fuel coupons to customers and suppliers. Other state agencies
were instructed by cabinet to examine their complimentary coupons
as well, Mr Suriya said.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post.
Asian Internet Provider Copies the 'Government
Lottery' to Increase Subscribers
BANGKOK, Thailand (March 26, 2001) -- Pacific Internet
(Thailand), the service provider of Nasdaq-listed Pacific Internet
based in Singapore, says it has designed a promotion copying
Thailand's 'Government Lottery'. Customers who apply for any
monthly subscription package, or purchase a particular package,
will receive a coupon offering a chance to win prizes. In the
so-called "Easy Money" campaign, each coupon contains
five digits selected at random. If the number on the coupon
matches the last five digits of the first prize in the Government
Lottery draw held twice a month, the holder will receive a 200,000-baht
prize. If there is no winner in any particular draw, the prize
money will be carried forward to the next draw. The campaign
will run from tomorrow to Aug 16.
Pacific Internet plans by the end of this year to increase the
number of its individual subscribers to 70,000 from the present
20,000 and corporate users to 800 from 250. To meet the target
Pacific Internet plans to increase capital from 188 million
baht, and will seek strategic partnerships with telecom firms.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Elephant Statue Starts Religious Lottery
Fever
BANGKOK, Thailand (March 16, 2001) -- According to local
news sources, Thais are flocking to a 160ft high elephant statue
near Bangkok for lucky lottery numbers.
They believe that buying lottery tickets there will guarantee
hitting the jackpot. The elephant represents the Hindu God Indra
and is revered by Thais. But the owners of the museum where
the statue stands say it is there only to attract people to
the museum, reports South East Asia News. "The elephant
was my father's idea. He wanted to build an antiques museum
and he thought he could put it under an elephant's stomach"
said Pakpian Viriyapan, the museum owner. Then worshippers began
to arrive at the site from everywhere. "Many would bring
truckloads of sugarcane and bananas as offerings to the Erawan
elephant and to pay their respects. It was just too much,"
said Pakipan.
SOURCE: Ananova.
Lottery Office Considers Settlement;
15 Year Deal if Court Claim is Dropped
BANGKOK, Thailand (January 24, 2001) -- According to a report
in the Bangkok Post, 'The Government Lottery Office' is considering
a settlement offer to Jaco Co under which the company would
receive the right to distribute lottery tickets for up to 15
years in return for dropping its compensation claims. Jaco,
a joint venture between Loxley and US-based GTECH, was awarded
an eight-year concession to run an online lottery scheme on
the final day of the Banharn government in 1996. The 1.6-billion-baht
project was cancelled last year by the government, following
numerous complaints by lottery vendors. An arbitrator in December
ruled that the Office must pay 2.5 billion baht in penalties
to Jaco for its failure to abide by the contract.The arbitration
ruling was reported to the cabinet yesterday, said Chaiwat Pasokpuckdee,
director-general of the Office. Two options were available,
he said. The first option would be to wait for Jaco to file
a civil suit against the Office for the failure to implement
the contract. The main defence by the state in a court case
would centre around whether the concession fell within the strictures
of a 1992 law regulating public-private joint ventures. The
law requires concession contracts to pass a detailed screening
mechanism. Failure to abide by the law would result in the cancellation
of the contract. The Office wants the Council of State, the
government's legal advisory body, to rule on whether the concession
fell within the scope of the 1992 law. But Pichet Phanvichartkul,
a deputy finance minister, said it was unlikely that the law
could be used as an excuse to scrap the concession and avoid
paying compensation to Jaco. He said it was the responsibility
of the state agencies involved to ensure that screening procedures
were met. The second option available, Mr Chaiwat said, was
to settle the dispute with Jaco. The Office could extend Jaco's
term in distributing lottery tickets from eight to 10 or 15
years, he said. Jaco would distribute 2-3 million tickets per
draw, keeping 9% of the proceeds from sales. Currently the Office
holds two draws each month, with each ticket priced at 20 baht.
Another possibility was for the Office to buy Jaco's online
lottery system and mainframe systems for around 700-800 million
baht. Computer systems have not yet been procured by the company,
with original plans calling for purchases to be made in fiscal
2002. While the Office wanted the cabinet yesterday to indicate
which option should be taken, ministers said it was the responsibility
of the lottery office and the Finance Ministry to settle the
matter. Akapol Sorasuchart, government spokesman, said the cabinet
had no authority to decide the matter, and that the responsibility
rested with the state agency. If Jaco was dissatisfied with
settlement offers, then the company could file suit in the courts,
he said. Regardless, no discussions have yet been held with
Jaco by the Office on the new settlement proposals. Mr Chaiwat
said offering a new distribution contract to Jaco would be unnecessary
if the lottery office won the case in court. But if the court
upheld the decision by arbitrators, negotiating a settlement
would reduce the losses incurred by the state. Alternatively,
purchasing Jaco's systems and hardware would give the lottery
office new resources to expand its products and services in
the future. Mr Chaiwat denied that an online lottery encouraged
gambling, but said it instead offered additional choices to
meet a clear public demand while reducing the costs incurred
by the state in printing paper lottery tickets. Share prices
of Loxley, a telecommunications firm listed on the Stock Exchange
of Thailand, have swung wildly in recent days on speculation
a settlement offer by the government was imminent. Yesterday
Loxley's shares closed on the SET at 18.5 baht, down 25 satang,
in trade worth 152.02 million baht. The Finance Ministry, meanwhile,
says it will look for additional steps to ensure proper screening
of concession contracts signed between public agencies and state
enterprises.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
Huge Fine for Breach of Lottery Contract
BANGKOK (January 23, 2001) -- Cabinet will be asked to consider
a proposal for the Government Lottery Office to pay Jaco Co
2.5 billion baht in penalties for breaching a contract over
on-line lottery vending machines. The proposal was forwarded
to the secretariat of the cabinet by the Finance Ministry. An
arbitrator ruled the Government Lottery Office must pay 2.5
billion baht in penalties, plus 7.5% interest, to Jaco Co for
its failure to implement an on-line lottery sales contract signed
in 1996. The arbitrator asked the lottery authorities to pay
the firm within 60 days after the ruling was made. Jaco, a joint
venture between Loxley and US-based GTECH, was awarded an eight-year
concession to run an on-line lottery scheme on the final day
of the Banharn administration. Both the Chavalit and Chuan governments
suspended the project over alleged irregularities.
SOURCE: Compiled by LI staff from local media reports.
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