The Ministry of Finance said there are no regulations on selling lottery tickets online while many applications are providing "lottery ticket purchasing" services, creating many risks.
The Ministry of Finance said that recently, there has been a situation where businesses provide lottery ticket purchasing services that do not comply with regulations. Some websites and applications of payment intermediaries and banks providing domestic lottery ticket purchasing services only send ticket images to customers via email or on the application.
The images of the lottery tickets returned via email or displayed in the application do not contain full information, only take a picture of the ticket with the number sequence information chosen by the customer, and do not have a security code. The use of the above lottery ticket images, according to the Ministry of Finance, is not in accordance with regulations and does not ensure the legal rights of the buyer.
This creates risks of disputes, lawsuits, and disadvantages for buyers because they do not hold lottery tickets, so in case of winning, they may not be paid or forced to share the prize. At the same time, this also poses risks of money laundering, social evils, and tax evasion, the Ministry of Finance said.
In addition, according to the management agency, some domestic enterprises are also providing foreign lottery ticket purchasing services in violation of regulations.
The "Vietlott lottery ticket purchasing service" on an e-wallet application has been temporarily suspended since today, August 25. Photo: Quynh Trang.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Finance said it is coordinating with ministries, sectors and provincial and municipal People's Committees to more closely manage and perfect the legal framework for lottery business. This agency will strictly handle acts that violate the law.
At the same time, the Ministry of Finance said it had requested the Lottery Companies and Vietlott to rectify the operations of their agents and stop illegal business practices. If there are signs of criminal violations, the Ministry will transfer the case to the police for investigation and handling.
The Ministry of Finance said that traditional lottery tickets are currently only allowed to be distributed by selling directly to customers or through agents with contracts. Meanwhile, Vietlott's computerized lottery tickets are only distributed through terminals of agents with contracts with Vietlott and by phone (SMS). To date, the law has no regulations allowing the sale of lottery tickets over the internet and "buying lottery tickets on behalf of others".
Lottery business is a conditional industry, subject to the control of state agencies. Issuing lotteries from abroad to domestic organizations and individuals is prohibited.
Lottery business started in 1962 in Vietnam. Currently, there are 64 lottery businesses nationwide, including 63 state-owned enterprises in provinces and cities divided into the North, Central and South regions, operating traditional lottery and Vietnam Computerized Lottery Company (Vietlott) operating computerized lottery nationwide.
Quynh Trang
Source link
Comment (0)