Jhalokathi, July 6 (V7N) – Despite being an event organized in Pirojpur, lottery tickets under the banner of the "Pirojpur Industrial and Trade Fair 2025" are being openly sold in various areas of Rajapur upazila in neighboring Jhalokathi district. These tickets, promoted as “entry tickets with prizes,” are being marketed across at least 50 locations including local markets, schools, colleges, and hospital areas.
 
Promotional campaigns using loudspeakers broadcast enticing messages encouraging people to purchase tickets for a chance to win prizes. Drawn in by these promises, students, women, children, and people from different walks of life are reportedly falling into the trap. Local residents allege that this ticket-selling operation is essentially a form of gambling disguised as a lottery, which is illegal under Bangladeshi law.
 
From morning until 10 PM, ticket vendors use loudspeakers to advertise and distribute these tickets, raising concerns over noise pollution as well. Despite the overt nature of the activity, residents claim local authorities have failed to take any visible action, even though the activity is taking place in plain sight of law enforcement and administrative offices.
 
Several Rajapur locals argue that selling lottery tickets from Pirojpur in Rajapur without official authorization is unlawful. They warn that young people, especially school and college students, are suffering the most—both financially and psychologically—due to repeated losses, fostering a dangerous culture of gambling and contributing to moral and social decline.
 
In response to the growing concern, Rajapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rahul Chandra stated, “There is no permission to sell these lottery tickets in Rajapur. If tickets from the Pirojpur trade fair are being sold here, legal action will be taken.”
 
However, local residents criticize the lack of enforcement on the ground. While administrative statements acknowledge the illegality of the ticket sales, people report no active intervention to stop the operation. Community members are urging the district and upazila administrations to take immediate and decisive action to halt what they describe as an illegal gambling scheme preying on vulnerable populations.
 
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