The number of lottery ticket buyers is decreasing sharply in Yangon city with a lot of retail shops closed, according to local sources available on May 17. 

With very few people trying their luck, some lottery shops could not even see a buyer the whole day, a shopkeeper said. 

A retail lottery ticket seller in Tamwe Township said he had already closed his shop after he had made a loss of over Ks300,000 in March. 

“Since last month, I have given up selling lottery tickets because of very few buyers. In March, I suffered a loss of over Ks300,000. Very few people are trying their luck these days,” he said. 

Currently, both retail and wholesale lottery ticket shops remain open only in 27th Street while many in other townships have closed. Meanwhile, mobile shops going round in city streets are disappearing. A retail and wholesale shop owner said unsold lottery tickets could not be returned. 

“Particularly, the number of retailers is decreasing more than ever. One ticket is sold at Ks920 or 950. Few people try their luck at the lottery ticket shops. We are struggling now. In the past, unsold tickets could be returned. Now, we cannot,” she said. 

The 26th Aungbarlay lottery winner announcement was made on May 1 instead of April 1. Therefore, the 27th and 28th announcements will be made on June 1 and July 1 respectively, according to the Aungbarlay Lottery Department under the Ministry of Planning and Finance. 

The 26th Aungbarlay lottery winner announcement did not include Ks1.5 billion or Ks1 billion winners. Only one Ks500 million winner and one Ks 100 million winner were included. The number of cash awards has also gone down.