Lottery needs shake up

A lottery station in Wenxian county, Henan province. [Photo/China Daily]

The misuse of a large amount of lottery money as well as the existence of malpractices in the national lottery and its online sales, revealed by a recent National Audit Office report, highlight the need for intensified monitoring to promote the lottery's healthy development.

China's lottery has boomed in recent years. And the lottery has played an important role in pushing forward public welfare undertakings, from social security and poverty relief to education, healthcare for the elderly and grassroots sports.

However, the recent NAO report has disclosed worrisome malpractices, including chaotic management of the lottery funds, online lottery sales in violation of State regulations, the distribution of unreasonable bonuses and allowances to members of staff, and even misappropriation of lottery money for personal purposes. Behind these malpractices is the existence of loopholes in the management system and lax oversight regime. The involvement of departmental interests and the failure of the relevant State departments to fulfill their responsibilities have also contributed to the problems with the lottery.

The special auditing by the NAO is expected to lead to more effective rectification measures to help promote its public welfare raison d'être. The problems have also underscored the need for deepened reforms of the lottery. An information disclosure system is also needed to monitor all aspects of the lottery from issuance and sales to the distribution of winnings and the use of lottery money for public welfare undertakings.

The above is an abridgment of a China Youth Daily article published on Friday.