The General Office of the Ministry of Finance ("MOF") has recently issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Experts in Consultation and Review of Lottery Regulation (the "Measures"), immediately effective from the issue date.
The Measures state that where a lottery issuer files an application for creating a new type of lotteries, the lottery regulator of the MOF shall organize experts in consultation and review of lottery regulation to review this application. The lottery regulator of the MOF may seek and follow opinions from experts on five types of work, including "the research into formulating or amending the regulatory systems and policies for lotteries". According to the Measures, candidate experts shall be recommended by lottery issuers and provincial departments of finance to the lottery regulator of the MOF, and may be from research and consulting agencies, institutions of higher learning, lottery issuers, lottery sellers, provincial departments of finance, and other entities in connection with the lottery business. Furthermore, the Measures provide that to arrange for experts to provide consulting services, the lottery regulator of the MOF may summon experts to have a seminar or seek their opinions in writing.