The number of people playing lotteries is growing worldwide. This trend is being driven by advances in technology that make it easier to buy lottery tickets, which previously required that you live in or be visiting the country whose lottery you wanted to play. Now, with the help of a lottery agent such as Giant Lottos, you can play any number of different international lotteries from the comfort of your own home.
The government is taking steps to regulate illegal online lottery operations in Laos, which have become a major source of income for many people. The Ministry of Finance has instructed the state lottery enterprise to work with the government’s public security department to better manage such activities. The ministry will also require lottery operators to use more secure payment methods. It is unclear when the measures will be implemented.
Illegal lotteries are booming in the Southeast Asian nation, even though Laos has its own legal state-run lottery. Officials have admitted to rigging the results, with drawing numbers appearing only on certain purchased tickets and vanishing from others, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. For instance, the winning number in a recent national lottery draw was 509, but the number disappeared from tickets sold throughout the day after the drawing.
A Lao woman selling lottery tickets at an edge of a city street.
The illegal lottery business in the country is dominated by Chinese and Vietnamese investors with strong connections to the government’s ruling elite, sources say. They use the money they make from selling tickets to support a wide range of businesses, including restaurants and hotels. In return, they receive a cut of the money won by players. The state lottery enterprise has a weak monitoring system and has no power to stop the activities of the private sector, according to one source.
In Canada, the provinces and territories run their own lotteries. These include Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), and BC Lottery Corporation (British Columbia).
A man plays a game of lotto at an illegal gambling establishment in the northern province of Vientiane.
Lottery is a popular form of recreation and entertainment in Laos. While gambling is illegal in the rest of the country, some people have set up casinos and other establishments to allow gamblers to place bets without fear of being arrested. The popularity of the games has fueled debates over whether they violate laws against gambling.
The government has announced that it will reduce the number of times its official lottery draws are held each week and the prize amounts for some of its games, while keeping other prizes at current levels. The changes are intended to make the lottery more affordable for all. The government will also continue to support charitable projects through the lottery, which has raised more than $1 billion since its inception in 1994.