Two and three-digit lottery and lotto schemes are expected to be presented to the Government Lottery Office (GLO) board for consideration on Monday.
Excise Department director-general Patchara Anuntasilpa, also the GLO board chairman, said the two schemes have already been studied. It is likely that two and three-digit lottery tickets will be sold online as well as through mobile phone applications, he said.
"Basically, we want to roll out the two and three-digit lottery tickets to compete with underground lotteries, which hold a market value of 200-300 billion baht," Mr Patchara said.
The state is expected to gain huge revenue if it can sell even half the tickets which the underground versions shift.
If the board approves the scheme on Monday, it is likely to require two months to draw up regulations and hold public hearings, he added.
"The sales of the tickets online will make it convenient," said Mr Patchara. To prevent young people from buying the tickets, he said buyers would need to fill in their identification card numbers before purchasing them. He said the prizes would depend on the sales of tickets in each drawing round and how many people have winning numbers.
Prizes will constitute 60% of the sales revenue, he said. For example, if sales of tickets amount to one billion baht, the prizes would be 600 million baht in total. Each prize will be proportionally allotted from the amount.
The government of Thaksin Shinawatra ran a two and three-digit lottery between 2003 and 2006. However, Thaksin was found guilty by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions early this month for illegally launching the scheme and sentenced to two years in jail.