Dai Trang from Quang Ngai

Dai Trang, who sells lottery tickets on streets from Quang Ngai, said it’s now more difficult to persuade people to buy tickets. Her sales are just one third of that in pre-pandemic days.

Her loyal clients, who previously bought 10 tickets each time, now only buy one or two tickets “for fun”.

“Many people want to buy tickets, but they don’t have money. They lost their jobs because of Covid-19,” she said.

“Not all restaurants and eateries have reopened, so it’s difficult to find buyers these days,” she complained. “Everyone has to fasten their belts, so they are not spending money on lottery tickets.”

Truong Thi Le from Dong Thap, said she can sell 100 tickets a day and gets a commission of VND1,200 per ticket. This means that she can earn VND120,000 a day. Despite modest income, Le still has wander the streets every day, because this is her only way of making money.

Thanh Lan, a vendor in district 11, also complained that sales have never been so bad.

“I receive 250 tickets from agents in the morning and have to give back 140 tickets at noon,” she said.

Lottery ticket vendors in HCM City might not understand the regulations or actually know the regulations, but they still are selling tickets. HCM City Lottery Company said that the sale of lottery tickets in the city can be implemented at fixed places, commencing from October 22, but vending is still prohibited.

Van Nguyen in Binh Thanh district said he owes room rent to the landlord and if he cannot sell tickets he won’t be able to pay debts and cover basic needs. So he has taken the risk of selling though he knows it is not allowed.

Director of Binh Duong Lottery Company Mai Thanh Binh said the company began selling tickets on October 22, but the market is still far from returning to pre-pandemic days.

Binh said people are hesitant to buy lottery tickets because they are afraid of getting infected with coronavirus if they contact sellers. Many people still stay at home and don’t go out, so there are few buyers at this moment.

Tra Vinh Lottery Company had to suspend operation from July 9 to October 22. The company now allows tickets sold at tables only. But vending has been the major distribution channel for a long time. 

Tran Chung

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