A majority of people agree with the Government Lottery Office (GLO)'s idea to introduce two- and three-digit lottery tickets in a bid to compete with the underground lottery, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was conducted on June 25-26 on 1,259 people aged 18 and over throughout the country to compile their opinions on the idea.
The GLO last week set up a panel to study the issue and come up with a proposal for new kinds of lottery tickets within 30 days.
Asked about their gambling options, a question open to more than one answer, 89.33% said they buy government lottery tickets; 38.76% buy underground lottery tickets; 6.85% said they have quit buying any kind of lottery tickets; 2.81% mentioned underground two-digit lottery tickets based on the last two digits of the daily Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index; and 0.22% mentioned lottery tickets issued by agencies including the Government Savings Bank.
Asked to comment on the GLO's idea to issue two- and three-digit lottery tickets with a jackpot to compete with the underground lottery, a majority - 75.39% - agreed with it, saying it would be an additional legal option for people to gamble and the proceeds would go to the state; 16.86% disagreed, saying that it would lead to a rise in gambling; 7.08% were uncertain or had no comment; and 0.67% said they would need to see the details.