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There is an article in the Daily Telegraph about how some customers of Lotto who bought it online felt cheated because they paid 14% more.
Punters who entered last week's $106 million Lotto draw online via Oz Lotteries' website paid a premium above what newsagents charge for a ticket.
A ticket which costs $126 in a NSW newsagency costs $18 more online
When a customer complained, Oz Lotteries replied
that it charged a premium for its service, which it said was "superior" to newsagencies
So what is this superior service that the online service provides?
These services include; maintaining records of orders received, operating accounts on behalf of players and providing a secure internet based selling system that safeguards players personal and financial information
..
customers were able to cancel transactions at any time.
..
a facility to open gambling accounts with credit cards
Besides being a putdown for newsagents' service, it is not fair competition. A newsagent could provide all of this, too, if they got an extra 14%, which would more than pay for the increase in accounting costs and credit card fees. Somehow, Lotto never asked the newsagents about this.
The only positive is that the online fee is much higher than that of a newsagency, and the higher, the better for the newsagents.
