Following my post yesterday about Intralot chasing a licence to sell scratch tickets lottery games in Victoria, I received an anonymous call from a silent number claiming the decision was made by the Victorian Government and that Coles and Safeway will have scratch tickets available at their checkout by Christmas.
While I don’t know if the rumor is true, research online confirms Intralot’s plans for placing scratch ticket products in supermarkets in Victoria.
Coles and Safeway are too big already. They do not need scratch tickets. Their products will tempt people to use change to chase luck. Some of this change will be money from the Government Baby bonus and social welfare payments. By keeing lottery products away from supermarkets at least separates essential purchases from non essentials such as lotteries.
It would be socially irresponsible for the Steve Bracks Labour Government in Victoria to break a system which is socially responsible and has been generous to them for so many years.
While Tattersalls may have issues, at least their profits stay here. Intralot is a Greek company. We should not be shipping profits offshore when a local company serves us well.
Intralot’s local representative is Tony Sheehan, a former Labor treasurer.
An international company means that government reps will probably need to go to Greece to meet with the company- a lot more fun for our elected representatives than visiting a city office.
If this is true … once again we see the governments roll over for the big guys.
Their is one word Bracks needs to learn in this situation and that is NO!!!!
Once you go down this path …. their is no turning back … and watch all the newsagents close down because of the downturn in what was once an exclusive sector for newsagencies.