Frequent draw and high jackpot cause of concern for Sedqa

The national agency against dependencies has voiced its concern over recent changes to the Grand Lottery Maltco which resulted in more frequent draw and a weekly jackpot of at least €500,000 every week.

On several occasions throughout the year, this jackpot is bound to rise beyond the minimum level, Agenzija Sedqa said.

In a statement, Sedqa said the decision to establish the minimum jackpot at half a million euro "was not a random one". 

"Sedqa has often pointed out that the experience of the Super 5 Lottery has repeatedly shown that at this level of jackpot, ticket sales rise markedly," the agency said.

"This figure seems to raise the hopes of many individuals, especially among those who face daily financial struggles to make ends meet and who hope that a big win will change their fortunes overnight."

The ripple effect is that retailers, including groceries and minimarkets feel their sales decreasing whenever the Super 5 jackpot reaches certain levels.

Even pharmacies have been known to voice their complaints about reduced business at times like this.

"It is probable that people in the lowest income group are the ones who are most likely to opt to try their luck for a big jackpot even if it means refraining from buying necessities," Sedqa said.

It warned that this development was seriously undermining the government's vociferously-voiced concern about poverty.

"The whole nation is in agreement that poverty is a problem. But this development has undermined the government's planned efforts to tackle poverty."