The mobile lottery, operated by PNG Lotto and running on Irish telecommunications company's Digicel network, was launched several weeks back as a more convenient and cheaper way to indulge in a high stakes game with an opportunity that can dramatically change a winning bettor's life. Since the start of the lottery, thousands have already texted their entry numbers.
Draws are held weekly, on Saturdays, and the resulting winning combination are automatically texted to a bettor's mobile phone. Aside from jackpots, the mobile lottery is also planning special draws where special prizes such as luxury cars will be given away.
However, various society groups attacked the promise of "making millionaires out of everyone" non-sensical. Concerns were also raised that the very accessible medium of using mobile phones to gamble would expose young kids to the vice early.
Voicing their opposition to the mobile lottery were Scholar Kakas, president of the National Council of Women; and Archbishop Francesco Panfilo, president of the Catholic Bishop Conference in PNG and the Solomon Islands.
Both leaders pointed out that the mobile lottery would only bring more poverty to families and communities in PNG as money supposedly to be spent on food and other basic items will instead be used for betting.
According to Archbishop Panfilo:
"This is dangerous nonsense. Even our developed neighbors, Australia and New Zealand, do not permit mobile phone lotteries because they are so hard to regulate ... There will be less money for food and necessities and more family problems as the punters would be tempted to spend their earnings in pursuit of a hopeless dream."
Also commenting strongly on the issue was Kakas who said:
"There is definitely no way that the lottery would make millionaires out of everybody in a transparent and accountable way. This is all a big lie because there will be no control or proper monitoring in place of people gambling on the phone."
She added that PNG was already experiencing headaches with poker machines or "pokies" and horse-racing and the introduction of mobile gambling would only increase the problem. She also pointed out the danger the mobile lottery posed to children stating that the measures put in place where not enough citing the voice prompt of the customer service number (150) simply saying "Elders will have to control this".
Archbishop Panfilo pointed out that promises that part of the profits will be channeled towards youth and sports programs might not work.
"Similar promises in the past were not fulfilled," he said.
Sources: Islands Business, Australia Network News, Post Courier
Posted: November 10, 2010
