Lottery Online
The Internet is a powerful tool that allows users to access lottery games on-line, often without paying anything except for the cost of the base ticket. The game’s popularity has led to the proliferation of web sites that offer the purchase and delivery of tickets as well as instant games. The largest operator of these games is GTech Corporation, which administers about 70% of the worldwide online and instant lottery business. Other major players include the International Lottery in Liechtenstein Foundation (ILLF) and the World Wide Lottery Association. Despite their popularity, lottery games are regulated in only about a third of the world’s countries.
During the past century, several national and state lotteries have evolved, including scratch-off games. These games are popular in Europe and Canada and are used to raise funds for public projects such as schools, roads, and medical care. Most scratch-off games are available in many varieties and include different prize levels and combinations of numbers. The most popular are the state-operated lottery games, where the prizes range from a small amount of money to vehicles and home furnishings.
In the United States, large portions of state lottery revenue are distributed to public education systems. In addition, state-run lotteries also support a variety of charitable causes through their games. In the past, a variety of private organizations offered lotteries, but most have been replaced by national or state-based companies such as the Multi-State Lottery Association and its member states.
Lottery officials in the communist country of Laos are rigging the system to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the capital city of Vientiane tell RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings for the country’s national lottery often feature numbers that mysteriously disappear from purchased tickets, or appear only in the form of a digit such as a 5 or a 9. On Oct. 14, the number 9 appeared only as a 5 on tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing, and was changed to a 9 only 10 minutes before the drawing began, the source said. The lottery officials are private business interests that have connections to the country’s ruling elite, the source added.
Although gambling is illegal in the nation of Laos, it remains a popular pastime among local residents. Thousands of tourists storm the few local casinos, while many gamblers opt for online betting. Despite the fact that Laotian authorities do not block access to international bookies, there is still no framework in place for regulating the industry. Until this changes, it is best to stick with reputable international bookmakers.