Srilanka, Sept. 30 -- The government's new 'Ayubo' daily lottery will result in lower-income citizens footing the bill for a universal free healthcare system accessible to all wealth brackets, the Advocata Institute warned.
The warning follows the launch of the lottery last week by the National Health Development Fund (NHDF), the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, and the National Lotteries Board (NLB), with proceeds earmarked for the NHDF to finance state healthcare services.
Advocata pointed out that the overwhelming majority of lottery consumers in Sri Lanka belong to lower-income demographics. Economically, lotteries function as "inferior goods," meaning demand is concentrated among lower-income groups and falls as personal income i...