An unlicensed Vietlott lottery ticket shop has appeared in Nghe An.

(Baonghean.vn) - Since November 14th, a shop displaying a sign advertising Vietlott self-selection lottery tickets has appeared on Nguyen Van Cu Street (Vinh City). However, customers entering the shop are advised to buy pre-printed lottery tickets for 11,000 VND.

"Are the shops displaying Vietlott signs in Nghe An operating illegally?"

Just over four months after officially launching, the computerized lottery system of Vietnam Lottery Company Limited (Vietlott) in several southern provinces has attracted a large number of participants. Information about four lucky customers winning prizes worth tens of billions of VND, released by Vietlott, has further fueled the appeal of this new lottery format.

The shop displays a sign advertising the sale of Vietlott lottery tickets on Nguyen Van Cu Street.

Following the craze, starting on November 14th, a shop displaying the sign "Vietlott Self-Selection Lottery Shop" appeared in Vinh City. Located on Nguyen Van Cu Street in Vinh City, the shop's prominent sign attracts passersby. The shop advertises American-style lottery tickets with a massive prize of up to 150 billion VND for just 10,000 VND.

On November 16th, posing as a customer wanting to buy lottery tickets, a reporter visited the store. A staff member was sitting behind the counter. When the reporter stated they wanted to buy self-selected Vietlott lottery tickets, the staff member said that the store had run out of pre-printed tickets and invited the reporter to come back the next day.

On November 17th, the reporter visited the store again and was given a stack of pre-printed lottery tickets to choose from. When asked why the store, which advertised self-selection lottery tickets, was selling pre-printed tickets, the employee explained that they hadn't yet installed a ticket terminal, so the tickets were pre-printed and sold to customers. Interestingly, the ticket price was 10,000 VND, but the employee charged the customer 11,000 VND. The extra 1,000 VND was explained by the employee as "transportation costs."

According to Mr. Hai, who introduced himself as the store manager, the store's sale of pre-printed lottery tickets is in accordance with regulations and customers are still guaranteed the same rights as those who buy self-selected tickets. When questioned by the reporter about why the store was displaying signs selling self-selected lottery tickets when the Vietnam Computerized Lottery Company had not yet installed terminal equipment in Nghe An province, he explained that these tickets were issued in Ho Chi Minh City and transported to Nghe An by plane.

“The store is not a first-tier distributor of the company, but only a subordinate unit of a distributor in Ho Chi Minh City. If customers win, they will receive their prize directly at the store. Regarding legal procedures, the store has submitted the necessary documents through the one-stop service department,” Mr. Hai said. When the reporter requested to see the store's legal documents, Mr. Hai declined.

According to the Nghe An Department of Planning and Investment, in early November 2016, a person submitted an application to the department's reception and results delivery unit to register a computerized lottery business. However, the person later withdrew the application.

According to regulations, the areas for issuing computerized lottery tickets through terminal distribution are as follows: The computerized lottery company selects a number of provinces and cities nationwide to implement the issuance of computerized lottery tickets as prescribed. The specific business areas must be reported to the Ministry of Finance for approval before implementation.

The lottery ticket was pre-printed and sold to a customer by the store employee on November 17th.

“Up to this point, Nghe An province has not yet received approval from the Ministry of Finance for the Vietnam Computerized Lottery Company to issue computerized lottery tickets, and the company has not yet installed the terminal equipment. Authorities have only heard about it but have not yet conducted an inspection because this store has only recently appeared and has not been licensed by the State,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Duong, Deputy Head of the Corporate Finance Department (Department of Finance).

In a conversation with Mr. Phan Tinh, Chairman and Director of Nghe An Lottery Company Limited, it was confirmed that the company was aware of the store's activities. According to Mr. Tinh, upon receiving the information, he directly contacted Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dam, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Electronic Lottery Company Limited.

During the discussion, Mr. Dam affirmed that the company had not yet installed terminal equipment in Nghe An, so the store selling pre-printed lottery tickets was operating illegally. At the earliest, the company would install terminal equipment and open Vietlott lottery ticket sales agencies in Nghe An by the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018.

Nguyen Hung