(LI SHIGONG)

On June 2, Beijing Normal University announced the founding of the National Lottery Development Institute (NLDI), a scientific research institution on lottery studies, which offers master's degrees in the subject.

Xu Ruixin, Director of the NLDI, said the institute will mobilize the teaching resources of the School of Social Development and Public Policy and other departments to develop an international degree program in collaboration with American universities. Xu noted the institute aims at nurturing senior public management personnel suitable for all kinds of lottery organizations and providing an array of training courses on lotteries.

China's lottery industry witnessed a growth rate of 25 percent. The welfare lottery hit 600 billion yuan ($95.2 billion), generating 200 billion yuan ($31.7 billion) in public welfare funds, which has subsidized more than 240,000 social welfare and charity programs, benefiting more than 200 million people.

Some people doubt the necessity of the subject, while others argue that the lottery industry currently faces a severe talent shortage, hindering its long-term development. The NLDI needs to concentrate its efforts on the cultivation of lottery research and management professionals. The following are excerpts of some opinions.

Supporters

Shang Lifu (The Beijing News): The institute hopes to enroll students who want to gain a degree in operating or managing the national welfare lottery. The degree in lottery studies is listed as a regular academic major under public administration. The institute wants to improve the management abilities of future lottery operators.

The institute could also invite people engaged in different lotteries — those for sports and welfare programs — to communicate with each other and work out ways to improve the industry's development.

Wang Chuantao (Legal Daily): The NLDI is just an independent academic institution. Before its social functions are fully displayed, we should see it objectively.

Personal feelings aside, we should support the academic development of the lottery sector, which contributes to China's social progress. In recent years, some people have shown doubts about the lottery system because of the low winning threshold. Even so, we should not criticize the lottery as a root of evil. On the contrary, more academic resources should be allocated to the sector to address these problems.