Lotto receivers call for greater security

The Lotto Receivers' Union has again called on the police commissioner and the acting director of public lotto to provide greater security measures for lotto receivers.

Their appeal follows a hold-up on a lotto booth in Naxxar on Wednesday.

Police said that investigations were still underway into the hold-up although there had been no breakthroughs.

The union has been complaining of the problem for some years, and was optimistic that a long-term solution would be found with the consortium taking over the Lotto Department once the privatisation process was concluded.

"Before the privatisation process started, the LRU were promised around Lm50,000 to spend on surveillance, but since the talks started, things have been at a standstill," its president, Arthur Rossi, said.

"Although we are convinced that this problem will be tackled by the consortium in the long-term, what we also want is a short-term solution. At present the mobile squad passes by on its rounds, but that is not enough. We need something more tangible, even though we realise that it is not feasible to expect a police or security guard presence outside each lotto receiver all the time.

"The government nets millions of liri from the lottery, so you would expect that they should be willing and able to look after us."

He said that a meeting was held yesterday with the lotto department although no proposals had yet been made.

Mr Rossi said the amount stolen was less than half the figure of Lm5,000 quoted at the time. Lotto receiver Carmen Fenech has since re-opened her booth as normal.

"Life goes on," Mr Rossi shrugged.