A person surnamed Cho, 57, who runs a lottery shop in Yongsan District, Seoul, said this. She said that since the start of this month, the number of customers—especially among younger people—has fallen, which is affecting sales. Cho said, "Comparing sales from Feb. 1 to 23 this year with the same period last year, they were down by about 20%," adding, "Small shops are hit harder."
Following pension lottery tickets, the government has piloted mobile sales for Lotto as well, deepening the sighs of neighborhood lottery shop owners. So-called "Lotto hot spots," where winners frequently emerge, are largely unaffected, but small shops with many low-spending customers say their sales inevitably take an immediate hit.
◇ Lotto enters the mobile era… only "hot spots" are bustling
According to the industry on the 28th, the Ministry of Planning and Budget Lottery Commission decided to introduce mobile Lotto sales and began a pilot run on the 9th. Until now, Lotto could be purchased by visiting a lottery shop or by accessing the website on a PC.
The problem is that with the start of mobile sales, which are relatively more accessible, foot traffic from customers who used to visit shops is declining.
A person surnamed Kwon, 50, who runs a lottery shop near a university district in Seoul, said, "Since mobile sales began, the number of customers in their 20s and 30s buying Lotto has clearly decreased," adding, "If you can buy right from home, even I wouldn't go to a lottery shop in person."
By contrast, shops known as "hot spots" still see lines of buyers. With mobile sales starting, a polarization among shops is emerging.
One Lotto buyer said, "I feel luckier if I buy at a place where there are frequent winners, so I deliberately go to hot spots like Nowon or Yeongdeungpo," adding, "Mobile purchases are capped at 5,000 won per transaction, but at shops you can buy up to 100,000 won, so offline is better."
Donghaeng Lottery, which operates the Lotto business, said it has introduced measures to minimize damage to shops along with the rollout of mobile sales. Mobile purchases are allowed only on weekdays (Monday 6 a.m. to Friday midnight), and the per-transaction limit is restricted to 5,000 won.
A Donghaeng Lottery official said, "Even after we began selling tickets via PC in the past, shop owners did not suffer major damage," adding, "We will manage mobile sales well."
◇ Lottery shop owners say "livelihoods at risk... policy changes need discussion"
Some owners argue that mobile sales run counter to the purpose of the lottery sales licensing system.
Applications for lottery sales licenses (seller applications) are announced for new recruits around March to April each year on the Donghaeng Lottery website. Ninety percent of the openings are allocated to "priority contract recipients," such as people with disabilities, national merit awardees, and basic livelihood security recipients, and the remaining 10% go to the "near-poverty class."
They say that if mobile sales reduce lottery shops' revenue, the policy goal of helping stabilize the livelihoods of vulnerable groups in society could be weakened.
A person surnamed Kim, 60, who runs a lottery shop in Jongno District, Seoul, said, "Even working from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day doesn't cover labor costs, and I'm worried mobile sales will further reduce my income."
Some also say there was not enough consultation with owners during the policy decision process. They argue it is inconsistent to have restricted non-face-to-face sales over concerns about promoting gambling, then permit mobile sales.
A person surnamed Oh, 61, who runs a lottery shop in Seo District, Incheon, said, "We were not informed in advance about the implementation of mobile sales," adding, "When pushing policy changes, authorities should gather on-the-ground opinions."