President issues directive to reduce lottery ticket price to Rs.20

President Maithripala Sirisena has directed relevant authorities, including National Lottery Board (NLB), to reverse the increased price of a lottery ticket from Rs. 30 to Rs. 20, State Finance Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday.

Yapa said President Sirisena took the decision to reverse the price hike since the majority of lottery sales agents refused to sell lotteries at the higher price.

“The decision to increase the lottery price from Rs. 20 to Rs.30 met with huge resistance from lottery agents who protested by not selling lotteries over the past few weeks. So President Sirisena has taken the decision to reverse the price,” he said.

The price hike was enacted from 1 January.

However, despite the demand, NLB General Manager A. H. Sunil Gunawarena said earlier that it would replace any agents who refused to comply with the price revisions set in motion.