A new panel set up by the Government Lottery Office's (GLO) board has been ordered to explore and come up with a proposal for new kinds of lottery tickets within 30 days.
The panel will be chaired by GLO spokesperson and board member Thanawat Polvichai, according to the director-general of the Excise Department, Patchara Anuntasilpa, who is also the chairman of the GLO's board.
"The panel will be asked to study the most suitable form of lottery that can be applied here," he said after a board meeting on Monday. "It could be a two and/or three digit draw, four and/or five draw, or even a picture draw."
Mr Patchara said the panel has been ordered to present its findings to the GLO board at its next meeting, which is scheduled for next month.
Once approved, the proposal will be taken up for public hearings before it is presented to the cabinet for approval. "The entire process should be finished by the end of the 2019 fiscal year in September," Mr Patchara said.
"The GLO has been studying various forms of lottery tickets, and it is possible that more than one type could be presented to the board," he said.
He brushed aside concerns that the new ticket forms may draw young punters, saying that there are checks in place to prevent underage people from buying lottery tickets. "Smartphone applications, where lottery tickets can be purchased, can be programmed to filter and verify the age of the buyer," said Mr Patchara.
Meanwhile, Mr Thanawat said that "underground" lottery draws have mushroomed in value to about 500 billion baht -- up from 100 billion baht just 10 years ago.
The GLO estimated that the introduction of new types of lottery can decrease the value of underground lotteries by 50-100 billion baht.
Mr Thanawat said in the Philippines, the purchase of underground lottery tickets dropped after the government issued the lotto scheme, which is more trusted than the fraud-plagued underground ones.
He said the board also agreed to continue supplying lottery tickets in bundles, after the move received favourable feedback from buyers and sellers over the past three months.
The GLO began supplying sets of two tickets in March, for 160 baht each.
By next month, he said, the GLO will launch its mobile phone application, which would help verify retailers who sell lottery tickets.
The app will have information on lottery agents and allow buyers to purchase their tickets in advance.
The system will also enable buyers to report lottery ticket sellers who overcharged them, said Mr Thanawat.