No more Mahapola online lottery
View(s):The Mahapola online lottery operated by a private company in Sri Lanka is to be terminated by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade as it has failed to generate expected revenue to the government, official sources disclosed.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) has granted its consent to the Ministry to terminate this lottery which was started in 2014 by the previous Rajapaksa regime. The CCEM decision follows a note submitted by the Ministry revealing all facts behind the failure of the lottery.
Oceanic Games (Pvt) Ltd had been given management of the lottery to be operated in collaboration with eGame Solutions, a Hong Kong-based company, when Johnston Fernando was the Minister of Internal Trade, a senior official of the Ministry said. According to the agreement reached with Oceanic Games, it has to credit Rs. 500 million to the Mahapola Education Fund annually, he said noting that the lottery was not generating much revenue to fulfill its pledge. Despite not having a licence to operate the on-line lottery, the company was given its management in 2013.
Commenting on the government’s decision, JVP leader and MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake told the Business Times that this lottery was similar to a casino which was a great danger to the youth of this country as they would get addicted to gambling. He disclosed that the previous UNP regime, too had launched a similar lottery by the name ‘Online’ in 2003, and the National Lotteries Board had infused Rs. 8 billion into it. However, that online lottery was not transparent enough and had been abandoned. (BS)