The Sri Lankan Development Lotteries Board has confirmed that lottery sales are struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that sales personnel have also left the industry.
As reported by The Morning, the Board’s Chairperson, Anusha Palpita, has admitted that sales are not increasing after lottery retail points were forced to close for 75 days due to the pandemic. He stated that around 80% of sales had recovered since the pandemic.
“Our normal lottery sale is in the range of Rs25 to 26. However, this range has decreased due to the pandemic. For around 75 days we couldn’t do any sales. However, the situation is under control at the moment. We hope we will be able to recover during the December season,” Palpita told The Morning.
Additionally, he admitted that the DLB was struggling to retain its lottery retail staff, noting that many ticket sellers had found new jobs since lottery ticket sales came to a grinding halt.
“We are trying our best to encourage them considering the current situation and expect to have an Rs.300m profit in January 2022,” he added.
The Development Lotteries Board exists to support the Southern Asian country’s economic growth whilst aiding those in need whilst also providing scholarships so students can access education.
Over 306,000 students have been awarded scholarships by the DLB from 1983-2019 and require lottery tickets to recover in order to continue supporting these good causes.
