GLO issues stern age warning over Thai lottery ticket sales

Government Lottery Office
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The Government Lottery Office (GLO) has stepped up its efforts to prevent the sales of lottery tickets to people below the age of 20, according to Nation Thailand.

The local news outlet reports the GLO and the Stop Gambling Foundation are giving away stickers declaring “No selling to persons under 20”, initially to lottery vendors in Bangkok and Nonthaburu before an expansion of the campaign into other provinces within the next year.

“Article 39/1 of the 2019 Government Lottery Act prohibits the sale of lottery tickets in educational institutes, while Article 39/2 prohibits selling lottery [tickets] to persons under 20. Violators face a fine of up to 10,000 baht,” GLO chief Lt-Colonel Nun Sansanakhom announced at a press conference on Friday.

“If vendors are not sure about the buyer’s age, they can ask to see their ID card.

“This campaign, along with the drive to strictly limit the price of tickets at 80 baht each, is part of GLO’s policy to make the sale and purchase of lottery tickets transparent and in line with the law.”

Thanakorn Komkris, Secretary-General of the Stop Gambling Foundation, added: “Our survey found that vendors have been ignoring this law and have sold lotteries to more than 700,000 underaged persons last year.

“Also, many buyers are unaware of this law and most merchants never ask customers to provide an ID.”

Thailand is currently in the midst of trying to control the price of lottery tickets and make them more accessible following a spate of scandals in the country.

The Bluedragon Lottery was cleared of overpricing tickets last month after being charged and investigated by police, but there are still plans to launch two new government-run lotteries this year in a bid to prevent such a practice and stamp out the number of illegal lotteries in Thailand.