News
Lottery sellers suffer under security situation
Around 120 lottery sellers in Colombo and other towns have suffered following the removal of their sales outlets (lottery booths) in a government move to demolish unauthorised constructions after the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Lottery sellers take a beating Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
Lottery booths of the Development Lottery Board (DLB) and the National Lotteries Board (NLB) at crowded places in cities countrywide are being removed by local authorities including municipal councils and urban councils under the programme of demolishing unauthorised constructions due to security reasons.
These lottery sales outlets possess required approvals and licenses issued by the Urban Development Authority, Road Development Authority and local authorities, DLB and NLB officials said.
Lottery sales have dropped sharply following the removal of lottery booths in Pettah, Ratnapura and Matale towns, they said, with the number of booths being removed rising.
NLB has an islandwide agency network of around 3,000 agents and dealers. The prevailing DLB distribution network of 2,500 agents and 15,000 lottery ticket sellers creates employment for the poorest segments of society, ensuring regular incomes to their families.
The daily sale of lottery tickets is in the region of 4.5 million tickets and the daily lottery ticket sale income of a lottery seller is below Rs.500.
The number of sales outlets removed from Pettah is 75, Ratnapura town 17 and Matale town 27, they said adding that although prior notice had been given to lottery agents in Pettah and Ratnapura, no such notice had been issued to sellers in Matale.
The lottery boards have already notified the situation to the Presidential Secretary, the Defense Secretary and the IGP requesting them to consider the plight of lottery sellers who depend on their daily income.
Presidential Secretary Udaya Ranjith Seneviratne has brought this matter to the notice of relevant heads of security divisions, the police and local authorities.
As a result, the removal of lottery booths countrywide has been temporarily suspended, a high official said.