The Government Lottery Office (GLO) is looking into issuing lottery "scratch cards" to lure punters away from the underground lottery and reduce the problem of vendors overpricing tickets.
GLO director-general Attagrit Tharechat hopes scratch lotto cards would draw at least 40% of the money spent on the underground lottery into the system.
A scratch lottery ticket issued in the United States. Instant win - or lose.
He said the GLO currently has only one product, which is a business risk. Its now-cancelled two-digit and three-digit lotteries had proven attractive to gamblers and it was hoped the proposed new "scratch lotto" would be able to compete with the illegal lottery.
The office estimated the underground lottery sucked about 100 billion baht a year from the system, and it hoped to get back about 40% of the market, or 40 billion baht.
However, it first needs approval from the GLO board, and a study of related laws to see it it was able to issue such a scratch card or not.
Caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Benja Louichareon, in her capacity as former chairman of the GLO board, said it would be inappropriate to made a decision now. A decision on the issuing of scratch cards should be made by the new government.
Pol Maj Gen Attagrit said the office is also studying getting new lottery drawing machines. Initially, it is looking on a French machine which uses a blown airstream to select winning numbers. It hopes to buy eight machines at a maximum cost of three million baht each.
The office has been subject to intense criticism, and suggestions that winning numbers were rigged, after drawn numbers frequently matched the licence plate numbers of vehicles used by former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.