VietNamNet Bridge - After only two weeks available in HCM City, Mega 6/45 lottery outlets have appeared everywhere, with up to 800 points of sales. This new type of lottery has become hot among Vietnamese players, particularly in HCM City.

Berjaya Corporation Bhd's (Bcorp) joint venture in Vietnam – Berjaya Gia Thinh Investment Technology Joint Stock Company (Berjaya GTI) – launched its lottery operation in Vietnam in mid-July with its first game, Mega 6/45 Lotto Jackpot Game.

BCorp hoped the jackpot game with a minimum VND12 billion (US$533,300) jackpot will excite a new generation of Vietnamese lottery players as well as create a more convenient lottery solution for existing players.

"Within the first month of operations, 800 point of sale terminals for Mega 6/45 tickets will be available throughout HCM City with some 10,000 point of sale terminals planned nationwide within the next five years," it said in a statement at the official launch of the lottery operations.

BCorp had established a partnership via a business cooperation contract with the Vietnam Computerised Lottery One Member Company Ltd (Vietlott).

According to Vietlott, in HCM City there are only five first-level agents who officially signed a contract with the company, besides 800 points of sales in all districts and communes in the city.

"The first-grade agents will be entitled to open more points of sale and develop the second or third-grade dealer system," said a Vietlott representative.

Many traditional lottery agents in HCM City want to become an agent of Vietlott but it is very difficult. Some said they had registered to be an agent but they had to satisfy many conditions and it takes time to fulfil these standards. Therefore, some have temporarily worked as points of sales instead.

To recap, on January 20, 2016, BCorp and Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd (BToto) announced the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment had issued the Investment Registration Certificate to BCorp and Vietlott to certify an exclusive 18-year contract awarded to invest in and operate a nationwide computerised lottery in Vietnam.

The $210.58 million project which is over 18 years is being carried out by Berjaya GTI, a Vietnamese company which is 51 percent owned by Berjaya Lottery Vietmam Limited.

BLV is 80 percent owned by BCorp and 20 per cent owned by BToto.

Vietlott is a 100 percent State-owned enterprise under the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance and is the only enterprise permitted under Vietnamese law to conduct computerised lottery business in the entire territory of Vietnam.

Na Son