Cease-fire group bans lottery on border

Loa Htaw, IMNA
February 23, 2006

For the first time selling of all kinds of lottery tickets has been banned by the cease-fire group, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in Three Pagoda Pass Township (TPPT) on the Thai-Burma border.

Lottery tickets started selling in TPPT illegally in1993. This is the first time that the ceasefire group (DKBA) has ordered a halt.

“DKBA authorities, Mr Aye One' group called a meeting of lottery outlet owners this morning and told them that they would either have to pay tax or stop selling lottery tickets,” said Nai Thaung a manager of a lottery outlet.

DKBA asked owners to pay a tax of 400 Baht per day as they do to the TPPT authorities. Three Pagoda Pass has nine main lottery outlets. An owner has many shares, branches and sellers.

“If we want to continue to sell lottery tickets, we have to pay tax to DKBA as we do to the TPPT. But if we pay both we will not make profits,” said one lottery vendor.

“Now selling of all kinds of lottery tickets (one, two and three numbers) have been stopped, said local residents.

The manager hoped it would resume soon because they rely on this business and they will try to negotiate as soon as possible.

Some local residents are happy with the ban on selling of lottery tickets and some are unhappy because they want win lotteries for extra income. They don't think buying lottery tickets is a waste of money, said Myint Swe a local resident.

Lottery constitutes the biggest form of gambling in Burma and people play it countrywide. Most Burmese lottery numbers are from Thailand lottery numbers. The number two lottery uses numbers of the stock market based on the broadcasts of ITV Thailand.