Lottery not disguised gambling: Minister
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Social Services Justika Baharsyah, insisted yesterday that a planned lottery to raise funds for sports differed from the previous gambling-oriented SDSB scheme.
"Unlike the now defunct SDSB, this new lottery contains no numbers. This is all about tickets which offer prizes as commonly seen on TV. People are free to buy them or not," Justika told Antara.
But to prove her point, Justika said she would ask a team of five senior ministry officials to study the fund-raising program proposed by the National Sports Council.
The team, to be led by Murwanto and comprising Sahlan, Joko Sujono, Syafei Anjasmaya and Sujanto, will consult the Indonesian Ulemas Council, the House of Representatives and the Indonesian Consumers Foundation.
Justika said the ulemas council was expected to clarify its criteria on gambling.
"We just want to settle the controversy as soon as possible," she said.
The deputy chairman of the ulemas council, Ali Yafie, said over the weekend it would not tolerate the lottery because the program would tempt people to gamble, as was the case in the past.
Organizers of the scheme, called the Sports Awareness Program, expect to raise Rp 100 billion (US$7 million) annually from coupons sold for Rp 5,000 each. The coupons also serve as a ticket to watch a designated sports event.
A buyer wins a prize if he or she collects a certain number of coupons bearing identical sports logos.
Half of the money raised will go to the organizers to provide prizes, 30 percent to the sports community and 20 percent to the ministry and the sports council.
The sports council wants the funds in its bid to ensure the country comes sixth in the 2006 Asian Games.
Separately, the ministry's inspector general Adang Ruchiatna backed the plan. "We can't call it gambling because there's no lucky draw," he said.
Adang, also an All Indonesia Soccer Federation official, said the tickets would be sold prior to sports events.
"Is it wrong to sell tickets in advance? France also sold tickets six months before the World Cup. It's as simple as that, why are people questioning the scheme," he said.
If the plan is approved, a trial sale will be conducted at league soccer matches, according to Adang.
"We are picking the soccer league because it takes place in many cities. In the future, other sports will also use the tickets," he said.
He also said the split of the scheme's revenue was not final.
"It's still being discussed and can be changed at any time," he said. (yan)