New regulation on lotteries to be issued in 2008

The first regulation for the fast-growing lottery industry will be issued next year to stamp out fraud in the sector, which has been on the rise since the country launched its first lottery two decades ago.

Legislators will draw on the experience of other countries and regions to work out the regulation and stipulate aspects of lotteries such as distribution, sales, announcement of results and management of funds, an official with the Legislative Affairs Office (LAO) of the State Council said yesterday.

"Other countries and regions always make laws first before developing the lottery industry, while China has acted to the contrary," Ding Feng, deputy head of LAO's department of political science and law, labor, social security and legislative affairs, told a symposium in Shanghai.

"Lack of laws and regulations on lottery supervision has become a significant factor impeding the sound development of the industry," he said.

Calls for publishing regulations or even a law on lottery supervision have been voiced repeatedly in recent years.

At present, China has only a provisional regulation on the management of lottery distribution and sales, which was issued by the Ministry of Finance in 2002.

"But it's only a departmental regulation," Ding said.

China started drawing up a national regulation more than a decade ago but it has been repeatedly delayed due to divergences among different government departments, such as the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Civil Affairs and the General Administration of Sport.