Lottery not disguised gambling: Minister

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)