New 'Ayubo' Lottery Shifts Healthcare Burden Onto Sri Lanka's Poor, Warns Think Tank

A leading Sri Lankan policy research organisation has raised serious concerns about the government's newly launched 'Ayubo' daily lottery, warning that it will effectively force lower-income citizens to subsidise a free healthcare system that benefits people across all levels of wealth.

Advocata Institute Raises the Alarm

The Advocata Institute, one of Sri Lanka's prominent independent think tanks, issued the warning shortly after the National Health authorities launched the Ayubo lottery last week. The organisation cautioned that the structure of the scheme places a disproportionate financial burden on poorer segments of society.

The core of the institute's argument rests on a well-documented economic reality: lottery tickets are purchased overwhelmingly by lower-income individuals, meaning that revenue generated through such mechanisms is drawn largely from those least able to afford it.

A Regressive Way to Fund Public Healthcare

Critics of lottery-based public funding consistently highlight the regressive nature of such financing models. Unlike progressive taxation — where contributions scale with income — lotteries tend to extract a higher proportional share of earnings from the poor.

The Advocata Institute's position underscores a fundamental contradiction at the heart of the Ayubo initiative: a universal free healthcare system, by definition, serves all citizens regardless of their financial standing, yet the funding mechanism appears to lean heavily on those with the least means.

The new lottery risks turning Sri Lanka's poorest households into the primary financiers of a healthcare system enjoyed equally by the wealthy.

Questions About Transparency and Accountability

Beyond the equity concerns, questions have also been raised about how the proceeds from the Ayubo lottery will be managed, allocated, and audited. Transparency in the utilisation of lottery revenue remains a persistent challenge in many countries that adopt similar models, and observers say Sri Lanka must put robust accountability mechanisms in place if the scheme is to retain public trust.

A Broader Debate on Healthcare Financing

The controversy surrounding the Ayubo lottery reopens a broader national conversation about how Sri Lanka should sustainably fund its public health sector. With the country still navigating the aftermath of its worst economic crisis in decades, policymakers face mounting pressure to identify financing solutions that are both effective and equitable.

The Advocata Institute has not opposed the principle of universal free healthcare, but insists that the method of funding it matters enormously — particularly when the country's most vulnerable citizens are the ones being asked to carry the weight.

As the daily lottery draws begin, the government has yet to formally respond to the think tank's concerns. Civil society groups and health policy advocates are expected to continue scrutinising the initiative in the weeks ahead.