The opening of the small three links has not only benefited traders in outlying islands and China, it has also given lottery players from both sides of the Strait the chance to get rich quick.
A small lottery sales booth on Kinmen has been confirmed by TaipeiBank to be the third largest lottery outlet in terms of sales.
According to TaipeiBank tallies, sales of lottery tickets totaled about NT$79 billion (US$2.29 billion) in last year.
Of that total, 8 percent, or some NT$6.32 billion, were paid as commission to lottery sales booths, including those on Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.
On average, each of the sales booths, totaling 4,900 nationwide, made NT$1.26 million in total sales commission last year.
However, the difference in the amount of business at booths last year was large, with the top 20 outlets in terms of sales commission each making more than NT$5 million.
Surprised by the huge sales amount posted by the Kinmen outlet, TaipeiBank officials recently traveled there to check out the situation. They discovered that Kinmen residents were not the outlet's only customers. A large portion of sales have been made to lottery players from Fujian Province who sailed across the Strait to buy tickets.
According to a Kinmen lottery salesperson, the Chinese have been keen buyers because they think the Public Welfare Lottery is fairer than its Chinese counterparts and has larger jackpots, often as high as NT$100 million.
Another point is that the direct ferry service between Kinmen and Fujian Province's Xiamen port runs on Tuesdays and Fridays, coinciding with the TaipeiBank lottery's drawing days.
It has been reported that Kinmen travel agents have sailed to Fujian to receive orders for lottery tickets and that some Chinese women married to Kinmen residents have bought lottery tickets for their friends and family members.
The salesperson also pointed to the some 10,000 troops stationed on the island as being a "major force" behind the sales.
Soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues queuing in front of lottery sales booths has become a common sight on Kinmen, the salesperson said.
The sale of lottery tickets to Chinese players has raised the question of what would happen if one of them hit the jackpot.
Although TaipeiBank officials said that the lottery is open to all players regardless of nationality, any winners of prizes worth over NT$10 million would have to claim their winnings in person at TaipeiBank.
As a result, Chinese lottery winners might have trouble claiming their winnings if they are not qualified to apply for a permit to travel to Taiwan.
Controversy might also arise if the Chinese winners asked their Kinmen friends to claim their prizes for them, bank officials said.
All in all, the TaipeiBank lottery drawings created 313 jackpot winners last year, with 41 individuals becoming billionaires.
Taipei City had the highest number of jackpot winners at 73, followed by Taipei County and Taoyuan County, which together had 87 jackpot winners.
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