The Criminal Court on Thursday rejected the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society's request to close Bluedragon Lottery Co's online lottery ticket sales platforms, ruling they did not cause overpriced tickets.
The ministry has accused the company of reselling government lottery tickets, resuting in overpricing of retail ticket sales. The company was also accused of concealing barcodes on government lottery tickets.
The ministry asked the court to close three lottery platforms operated by Bluedragon (Mungkornfa in Thai).
The court on Thursday ruled that the company did not raise lottery ticket prices. It only leased out its online platforms, where buyers and sellers met and settled lottery ticket prices.
The concealment of ticket barcodes neither damaged the Government Lottery Office nor enabled the company to gain any illicit interest, the court said.
Government officials raided Bluedragon's premises in late March and arrested company executive Pachara Messiyaporn, 31, last month in their bid to suppress the sale of overpriced tickets, the official price of which was set at 80 baht each.
Vendors are currently selling tickets at 100, 110 and even 120 baht.
