Vietlott exec on Mega 6/45 suspicions

The computerised lottery found winners for its multi-million dollar prizes after each time in the past month. The winners wore masks when taking over their prizes, which has raised public qualms about transparency. Is this a PR stunt from Vietlott?

I would like to confirm that the recent awards and ticket winners are the genuine article and that all information and related files were checked by the relevant management agencies. We have just made public a confirmation letter from Vietnam Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) confirming the transfer of more than VND205 billion ($9.36 million) to pay for the jackpot prizes.

Publicising the winners’ name is currently under discussion in countries around the world, including the US, not only Vietnam. Buyers of computerised lottery tickets have the right for privacy. The Ministry of Finance’s regulations also state that disclosing any information pertaining to the winners should be done at their discretion. This matches international practice.

At the prize-giving ceremonies held by Vietlott, we declared as much information as was allowed by the winners. Most lucky buyers shared that they feared their lives could be turned upside down or even threatened if their private information was made public. We, therefore, have the responsibility to preserve winners’ information privacy.

The public is suspicious of possible violations in the computerised lottery trade, such as Vietlott sales agents in several localities operating without the necessary equipment, or street vendors carrying pre-printed figures that are otherwise unavailable at sales agents. Do you have an explanation?

The number of computerised lottery ticket buyers has increased exponentially in the past month, making it hard for existing equipment to catch up with actual demands. Our company is responsible for signing contracts and supervising sales agents. There have been reports of a growing number of swindles abusing Vietlott’s and its agents’ reputation, cultivating false rumours, and damaging the company’s reputation.

How can you explain the existence of pre-printed tickets as well as regular tickets sold by vendors?

In some cases, computerised tickets were sold at a higher price than the ticket set value or even sold by vendors. The company held a recent meeting with the Southern Lottery Council, where we committed to closely cooperate with relevant lottery companies to ensure that operations stayed within the law.