Change law to allow sms2win

Details: Published on Tuesday, 23 July 2013 15:28

WILLEMSTAD - By prohibiting the selling of lottery tickets via SMS, government is heading in the wrong direction. That's what Chairman of the Supervisory Council of Curaçao's Numbers Game Foundation "Wega di Number Korsou" and attorney Marius Romer told TeleCuraçao.

Prime Minister Ivar Asjes had announced that since there is no policy or permit structure for such, the practice must stop until that is the case. Government was to inform United Telecommunication Services (UTS), which provides the infrastructure for this activity, in writing of the decision and make such known to the general public via advertisements.

Robbie's Lottery, the only official lottery office to make use of this service, was given three months to end this. The company had been selling lottery tickets via the UTS network since 2008, when the "sms2win" project was launched in St. Maarten.

Government says it's complying with a court ruling of March 4 that selling lottery tickets via SMS is not regulated by law. Another lottery office had gone to court because it wanted to sell numbers via SMS just like Robbie's Lottery, but the then-Schotte Cabinet had not allowed such.

According to the court, there is no current legislation that permits the selling of lottery tickets via SMS. The judge further ordered that government was to make a decision within four months on this matter because Robbie's Lottery has been selling such lottery tickets for years without a permit.

Asjes stated that government made its decision after having obtained legal advice that selling lottery tickets via SMS is unlawful. Another weighty reason is that it's difficult to find out if children are taking part in this gambling activity as well.

The Prime Minister also stated that it's impossible to monitor what government is to collect in taxes for lottery tickets sold via sms2win. Furthermore, selling the latter via SMS has adverse consequences for employment in the sector, Asjes said. When outlining its policies, government is also to decide whether to legalise sms2win or not.

Romer thinks ending the practice is like trying to turn the clock back on modern developments. More and more things are done remotely and buying numbers is no exception.

"What is needed is to change the law to make it possible and allow others on the market. Punishing the one that took the first initiative by stopping it altogether is not the answer," he said.

(The Daily Herald)