Players see lottery as quickest way to easy money

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rudi, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver at the Kebayoran Lama traditional market in South Jakarta, is similar to millions of Jakartans who dream of getting rich quick through gambling.

He always surges to the front of the ticket booth for an illegal lottery coupon, which costs Rp 500 (US cents 5.3). Each month, Rudi spends about Rp 15,000 on buying tickets.

The lottery ticket's cheap price is obviously very appealing to people from the lower income groups, including vendors, low- ranking state employees and even local thugs.

With its simple rules -- the winning numbers, from three sources, are based on the last two or three or all four digits -- the lottery's popularity has some people addicted.

In the Kebayoran Lama market, and the Tanah Abang and Palmerah railway stations in Central Jakarta, most ojek drivers and vendors admitted they were regular lottery players.

Rudi said he had been addicted to playing the lottery for three years now as he wanted to get quick money.

"It's like smoking a cigarette. You never realize that every single day your money leaks out for such things. I don't expect to become an instant millionaire as the prize is not that high. So far, I have never won anything," he said.

The prize depends on the ticket price paid. For the Rp 500 coupon, the cheapest one, one can win a Rp 1.25 million grand prize.

Joko -- another dream chaser who works as a fruit vendor on an electric train (KRL) serving the Serpong-Tanah Abang line -- spends between Rp 500 and Rp 3000 daily on buying tickets.

"I am hoping to win because I need the money to build a fruit stall at Sudimara station in Tangerang. Until now, I've never won a single grand prize. I just won Rp 25,000 once," said Joko, who began buying lottery tickets two years ago.

Galung, not his real name, a newspapers agent in Bintaro housing complex, Tangerang, had a sad tale to tell. Due to his addiction to the lottery, Galung has sold his two cars to fulfill his need to buy lottery tickets every week.

His "hobby" over the past two years has made his wife depressed, especially due to his lack of attention to his business, which keeps declining as he has begun to lose control of his agency.

For gamblers, the lottery is always the hot topic of the day. When waiting for customers every morning, people like Rudi, Joko and Galung often discuss the lottery draw and the possible winning numbers in the next draw.

There are two very popular types of lottery: the Singapur and the Malaysia; referring to the neighboring countries of Singapore and Malaysia, which organize a lottery under the name Sports Toto.

The game itself has an affiliation with the lotteries run in Indonesia, with the winning numbers being drawn in the two countries.

The Singapur counter is held every Saturday and Sunday and the draw is at 6:30 p.m., while the Malaysia is held every Monday and Thursday with the draw being held at 5:00 p.m. Both lotteries have the same prize of Rp 1,250,000, with the minimum ticket price being Rp 500.

To fill in the empty days without lotteries, local operators run their own lottery called Nagamas. This lottery is run daily with the draw being held at 11:30 p.m. The biggest prize is only Rp 125,000 and the smallest prize Rp 500.

Lottery stalls can be found easily throughout the city, mostly in the traditional markets, railway and bus stations and at traffic intersections.

Even though these lotteries are illegal, the operators can run their businesses safely with the help of corrupt military, police and city administration official, according to a study undertaken by the University of Indonesia's Institute for the Study of Social institutions.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso himself admitted that many administration employees were involved in the lotteries, making it more difficult to eradicate gambling in the city.