Lottery organizers should disclose the identity of the winners for public scrutiny and supervision to rule out cheating and underhand dealings. Transparency is good for the success of any business, and lotteries are no exception, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

A person in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, recently won 520 million yuan ($87 million) in a lottery, prompting some people to demand that the lottery agency reveal the winner's identity. Another group of people, though, have argued that revealing the identity of winner would be an infringement of his/her privacy, which is totally uncalled for and against the norms of the lottery business in China.

Perhaps the government should revise the rules for lotteries and make it compulsory for lottery agencies to disclose the identity of winners' for public supervision. Lotteries in China are part of the public welfare establishment run by the State. Therefore, people have the right to know where the public funds are going, and those buying lotteries should be prepared to reveal their identities if they win to erase any public doubts about foul play.

The money such people win is, no doubt, their personal property and they can use it as they wish, but their identities should not be regarded as a private matter because lotteries in China are public business.

Years ago, the United States administration passed a regulation making it compulsory to make public lottery winners' names and addresses. The Chinese government should seek the help of such rules in developed countries to revise its regulations on lotteries.

If the lottery business becomes really transparent, it would promote the healthy development of lotteries and reduce the chances of cheating and underhand dealings, which happens occasionally.