Tears of a Peddler
We got to know Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong (Cai Khe Ward) when she and her grandson were eagerly inviting customers to buy lottery tickets in the Ben Ninh Kieu area, Can Tho City. Late in the afternoon, the grandmother and grandson were a bit panicked because if they did not sell all the tickets, they would have to "hold" the unsold lottery tickets.
Nearly ten years since Ms. Hong started selling lottery tickets, the rules have gradually become more severe. In previous years, agents still collected 20-30 lottery tickets from street vendors per day, but for about 2 years now, all the "owners" have implemented an "unspoken rule" of not allowing the return of unsold lottery tickets.
"For many consecutive days, when Can Tho was raining and flooded, I could not sell all the tickets every day, and the agent did not let me return the tickets. If I was lucky enough to pass them on, I was happy, but if not, I had to keep them, and all the effort I put in for a day was considered a total loss. There were days when I had to go hungry to sell but still did not have enough money to pay for my rent, and my tears fell on the lottery tickets because there was nothing else I could do," said Ms. Hong.
Ms. Hong’s situation is similar to that of many other lottery ticket vendors in Can Tho City. Some even had to hold stacks of tickets, crying and running around begging customers to buy them.
"Selling lottery tickets is mainly for labor, each ticket only earns 1,000 VND. During holidays and Tet, I sell all 200 tickets and earn 200,000 VND to live on. But at times like this, not being able to get the tickets returned is extremely painful" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga (63 years old, Can Tho City) shared.
Huge revenue
It is known that currently, the lottery in the Southern region includes 21 provinces and cities and companies have mutual issuance markets, for example, Vinh Long lottery tickets are sold in Can Tho and vice versa. The companies issue (sell tickets) and open prizes once a week (HCMC has 2 times a week).
Basically, the printed lottery tickets will be sent to the level 1 agent, which is “bound” by quotas and sales. Next are level 2 agents, level 3 agents, level 4 agents… street vendors will receive lottery tickets from these agents, roaming everywhere to sell.
According to an agent in Cai Rang District, Can Tho City, there is actually no regulation that requires street vendors and agents not to return unsold lottery tickets to the company. But there is an "unspoken rule" that if any agent returns a ticket, the company will cut the ticket and transfer it to another agent. As a result, in a competitive environment, street vendors and subordinate agents must play by the rules, which means they would rather lose money than lose lottery tickets in the next issue.
On October 11, the Southern Lottery Council held a conference to review the first 9 months of the year. Accordingly, in the first 9 months of the year, the companies issued tickets with a turnover of over VND 105,000 billion, up 0.34% over the same period last year; of which the revenue from traditional lottery was over VND 103,708 billion, up 0.87% over the same period.
The average consumption rate of the Southern region reached 98.69%, up 0.51% over the same period last year; bonus expenses were VND 50,833 billion, accounting for more than 49% of consumption revenue; realized profit was VND 13,472 billion, up 2.67% over the same period last year; budget payment was VND 35,392 billion, up 12.87% over the same period.
