People who attempt to game the uniform invoice lottery through large amounts of small purchases will no longer be eligible to claim cash awards as of next year, the Ministry of Finance said Tuesday.

The ministry said that starting Jan. 1 people who make a large number of small-amount purchases without what the ministry considers to be a valid reason will not be able to claim any cash rewards from a certain number of winning invoices garnered through such purchases.

The amendment to the Uniform Invoice Award Regulations, however, does not define what constitutes "large number," "small-amount" and "certain number" for each draw, the ministry said, explaining that disclosing such information could give those attempting to game the system room to maneuver.

There are scenarios that the ministry would consider proper, it said, such as group buying. Under such circumstances, the lottery-winning invoices will be recognized as legitimate winners.

The ministry said enforcement would not be backdated to cover "improper" invoice collections prior to Jan. 1, 2022.

The move comes after a man bought over 1,000 NT$1 (US$0.04) shopping bags and NT$2 envelopes within a two-month time period and won NT$8,400 in the bimonthly invoice draw.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel