The winner of a Powerball lottery in Oregon has chosen to take a lump sum of $422 million dollars, after federal and state taxes. The prize is said to be the fourth-largest in the history of the lottery game. The winning ticket was sold at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, Oregon, according to the Powerball website.
The lucky winner is a forty-six-year-old immigrant from Laos who works at a restaurant in the Portland area. He told reporters at a news conference that he and his wife would split the prize, but he would also give half to a friend who chipped in $100 to buy the tickets with them. He did not want to be identified by his name, but he was wearing a sash at the news conference that identifies him as Iu Mien, a southeast Asian ethnic group that helped American forces during the Vietnam war.
Lottery games are popular in many countries. Some have national lotteries while others are run by cities or regions. The government regulates lotteries to ensure fair play and safety. The rules for playing are often complex. Some have age restrictions and other requirements. The rules are also designed to prevent criminal activity and protect children.
In Canada, it was illegal to sell lottery tickets prior to 1967. That year the Liberal government introduced a special law (called an Omnibus Bill) to bring up-to-date a number of obsolete laws. The bill included an amendment that legalized the sale of lottery tickets.
A lot of people like to play the lottery for the money they can win. However, some people do not think it is a safe way to spend money. In order to avoid losing your hard-earned money, you should always check the lottery results before you invest in it.
In addition to the numbers, you should also consider the weight of the lottery balls. It is important to remember that the heaviest ball will fall into the hole faster than the lighter balls. This is because the heaviest ball has greater mass.
The Laos government is rigging the country’s national lottery system to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the communist nation tell RFA’s Lao Service. They say that drawings sometimes show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or that are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be selected. For example, the winning number in the Oct. 14 drawing was 509, but it was shown as only a five on tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing. The number then changed to 662 just 10 minutes before the drawing began. These allegations have raised concerns among the public and sparked protests by some lottery players.