BANGKOK, May 12 (TNA) – The Criminal Court dismissed a request from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to close Mungkornfa Co’s three online platforms of government lottery tickets, ruling that the company did not inflate lottery ticket prices which buyers and sellers settled by themselves.
Anantachai Chaidet, lawyer of the platform operator, quoted the court as ruling that Mungkornfa Co was not a direct government lottery vendor and did not set lottery ticket prices. It only opened a market where buyers and sellers settled ticket prices and it only collected facilitation fees.
The ministry also accused Mungkornfa of illegally using its logo to cover the barcodes of government lottery tickets. However, the company told the court that it did not have any vested interest in the act and the Government Lottery Office was not damaged by the barcode concealment. Therefore, the court also dismissed the accusation.
The court closed two websites named similarly to Mungkornfa’s platforms because their representatives did not testify in the court.
Mungkornfa executive Pachara Messiyaporn said he had yet to decide if his company should resume its lottery business and that he had not considered if he should demand damages. (TNA)
