The government does not consider lottery a form of gambling, according to Home Minister Dawa Gyaltshen, who responded to a question on the lottery business in the National Assembly today.
Nidup Zangpo, the Nubi-Tangsibji MP who raised the question, said gambling in any form is a social scourge that all responsible governments would discourage.
He pointed to the contradiction of the government’s prohibition of gambling because of its devastating impacts while still promoting its own lottery.
“The lottery business is also a form of gambling at the national level with far greater harm and reach on society,” said MP Nidup Zangpo. “Isn’t the government encouraging citizens to engage in large-scale gambling through the lottery business?” asked the MP.
The home minister responded that Article 395 of the Penal Code of Bhutan permits gambling as long as it meets government approval. He argued that the lottery business has brought several benefits such as employment and revenue generation.
“We have created job opportunities for 192 Bhutanese in regional sales agent offices,” said the minister. “It has also aided economic development. Within five months, we’ve had more than 20,000 Bhutanese winners and this has helped improve their lives.”
This is after the government launched the Bhutan Lottery as a state-owned enterprise under the finance ministry in April last year. Lyonpo also said the government has made a gross profit of over Nu 9 M from the lottery business so far this year.
