Lottery agent cheats customer on prize ticket

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo District Judge Sampath Wijeratne yesterday issued a notice of interim injunction on National Lotteries Board in connection with a plaint filed alleging that an agent of the Lotteries Board defrauded the first prize of a Sevana instant lottery in April.

The Court issued the order after H.P. Piyasena of Hallala, Weligama filed the plaint citing Wasantha Jayaweera and Lakshman Jayaweera of Weligama and the National Lotteries Board as the defendants. The Court also issued notice on the other two defendants.

Plaintiff stated that he found three number two digits on his lottery when he scraped it which indicated he was entitled for the prize and a car at the place which indicated his prize.

The seller Lakshman Jayaweera of the lottery stall at No 12, Thasim City, Weligama gave him only Rs 20 as the prize and kept his lottery ticket with him despite the plaintiff asking for it. Wasantha Jayaweera was the owner of the stall.

Plaintiff stated that he bought a Sevana Lottery Nawa Wasarata Subasiri-2009 on March 30. but he did not get a prize for it. The number of the lottery was F27-005728-021. The seller told him to buy 10 lotteries on the condition that the seller would give Rs. 2,000 if there was no prize in any of the lotteries. So he bought ten of them and in one lottery he found three number 2 digits when he scraped it. So he was entitled to a car as there was a car at the place which indicated his prize.

Plaintiff stated when he gave the entire strip of ten lotteries to the seller he was given only Rs 20 as the prize and he declined to give him the strip of lotteries. The following day he complained to the owner but the owner only dissuaded the plaintiff from proceeding further.

Plaintiff further submitted that he made a complaint at the Weligama Police and also at the National Lotteries Board. The Additional General Manager of the Lotteries Board stated that the First Prize-car of the Nawa Wasarata Subasiri lotteries had not yet been claimed by anybody and promised in writing that if anybody claimed he would conduct an investigation before awarding the prize.

Plaintiff also stated that though he tried to settle the matter with the first two defendants through his lawyer it failed. So he filed the plaint praying for a declaration that he was entitled for the prize of a car.

He filed the plaint through attorney D. M. Hettiarachchi.