I refer to the news item Almost €66m From Maltco In Six Years (May 25). One may wish to note that in its last year of operation ending on December 31, 2003 the Public Lotto Department, after payment of salaries, commissions and all other expenses, made a net profit of Lm7.5 million (€17.2 million). This net profit was achieved with fewer selling outlets and games of chance and much less advertising to entice the gullible patrons to play more.

The aim of the Public Lotto Department was to provide a source of income to the government while at the same time protect the public by restricting the number of games of chance it organised.

Today, the public has a plethora of games of chance to choose from - Lotto, Super 5, Keano every five minutes, U-Bet (on football and other sporting activities, and other competitions e.g. Eurovision), daily Bingo on TV and instant games. It would be interesting to know how many millions of euros Maltco made during the same six-year period.

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