Lottery Wagers In Sri Lanka Struck By Strike

The Sri Lankan lottery is hardly Mecca Bingo Canada esque in scale but it's still awfully popular with lots of people partaking in lottery wagers most weeks, however, the government have put the price up recently and unfortunately not increased the vendors' percentage to match so guess what? They've gone on strike.

Lottery wagers are always fun, the chances might be slim but the rewards usually quite sizable and the stake, such as it is, rarely very large. This is why they're popular is so many countries around the world in various guises, with even US states (some of the last bastions of anti-gambling stupidity) allowing lottery games to be legal in their confines. However a lottery requires far more people than a bookmaker like Bet365, people to sell the tickets etc, and in Sri Lanka these people are getting shafted.

Lottery Vendors Ripped Off
• NLB in Sri Lanka
• 30% price increase
• 0% commission increase
• Vendors Displeased

Sri Lankan lottery wagers see funds go to numerous worthy causes across the country typically in the role of development project financing, and is very popular with the population, however recently the government decided to increase the price per ticket raising it up to the heady sum of 30 rupees, which in of itself doesn't seem an issue, however those that follow Sri Lankan gambling laws will have noted the vendors' slice of the price was not increased in line with the 30% rise, and they're displeased.

Is Bet365 An Internet Alternative To Lottery Wagers?

It might not seem much but the vendors are angry enough about being excluded from their share of the rise in price that they've vowed not to sell the tickets, effectively going on strike, to which the government responded rather badly with Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance, saying it was “unacceptable” and threatening to replace vendors who refused to sell the newly priced tickets going on to restate the increase in price of lottery wagers was to give the public more opportunities to win.

This did not have the effect he might have preferred with large numbers of these vendors protesting in front of Colombo Fort station with some becoming quite agitated and clashing with police, whilst a small party of others were ushered in to conduct talks with officials. The talks, according to the chairman of the lottery sales agents' association, Krishantha Marambage, were unsuccessful and the protests will continue to make Sri Lankan gambling news headlines till the government relents.

Will The Government Or Vendors Bow To Public Pressure First?

The popularity of lottery wagers in Sri Lanka means the National Lotteries Board has been seen selling tickets itself as the striking vendors have lowered ticket sales alarmingly to almost none at all, and the government seems unwilling to compromise, but it is claimed that so far they've lost out in revenues somewhere in the region of 25 million rupees and that's not to be sniffed at. So for just how long they can hold their nerve and deny the vendors their piece of the pie? Probably not for very long.


In the meantime the protests are likely to spread to other areas across the country and a small war will ensue between the vendors and government to win over public support, in which the government might well hold some advantage given the money tends to go toward development of public facilities anyway. Still, in the meantime it could be hard to make your usual lottery wagers so you might like to bet on sports in Sri Lanka on sites like Bet365 instead until further notice.