TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will no longer pay out prizes to people who spread out their purchases in order to obtain more receipts for the uniform-invoice lottery, reports said Friday (Sept. 10).

In the drawings of the uniform-invoice lottery held every two months, people can win between NT$200 (US$7.24) and NT$10 million based on the number printed on their receipt.

However, when reviewing lists of prize winners, the National Audit Office found that two people had won more than 2,000 times each with receipts obtained between Nov. 2019 and Oct. 2020, the Liberty Times reported. They were among 64 people who had won more than 100 times during the same period.

According to the investigation, the frequent wins were the result of consumers splitting up their purchases or buying large quantities of cheap items, such as NT$1 shopping bags, separately.

As a result, the MOF said it would not only no longer pay out prizes to such winners but also actively track them down and demand the money back if they have already received prizes. Furthermore, the regulations are being changed to prevent abuse of “abnormal transactions and payment methods,” the report said.