GIO takles lotto quackery

Television stations will be punished if they air programs in which spiritualists use "divine tables" (神桌), a sort of Ouija board, to predict numbers in the new computerized lottery, the Government Information Office (GIO) said yesterday.

The GIO said TV stations could be fined or have their programs pulled.

With gamblers nationwide infected with "lottery madness," many have turned to the supernatural to help pick lucky lotto numbers.

Some TV stations have broadcast programs in which a spiritualist uses a "divine table" to make predictions. The tables date to the Qing Dynasty. Tsao Chu-chung (曹初忠) of Taoyuan County says his table possesses divine power.

To use the table, the owner first places his hands on the table's surface. The table, apparently guided by supernatural forces, moves left or right in response to the owner's questions.

But Tsao, responding to an invitation from ET Today (東森) to demonstrate the table on the air, said it was inappropriate to use the device to pick lotto numbers.

He said the table would help only those truly in need.

GIO officials meanwhile said it was inappropriate for TV stations to promote superstition.

Any TV program broadcasting lotto predictions with the aid of a "divine table" will be heavily fined or pulled from the air, officials said.