Laos lottery officials have reportedly been accused of manipulating winning numbers to limit large pay-outs, according to sources within Laos. Laos’ three weekly national lottery is said to sometimes show numbers which appear on tickets but later vanish or become unlucky without winning prizes, according to sources within Laos. Furthermore, lottery salesmen told RFA’s Lao Service that Thai-owned Insee Trading Company knew which numbers players wanted and could manipulate results through manipulation.
The government has justified expanding the lottery to three days each week as part of its plan to promote employment and generate revenue for the country, but critics claim this move amounts to nothing but an elaborate scam in which profits from lottery sales are funneled directly back into ruling elite coffers.
Laos may not permit gambling per se, yet the landlocked nation boasts numerous casinos offering popular casino games like roulette and poker to its citizens and tourists. Online gambling is also offered; most of these casinos accept players from Laos but may lack security features similar to regulated casinos found in Las Vegas.
Laos lottery, commonly referred to as Khot (pronounced khoh), is managed by the government-owned National Lottery Company and offers various four-digit and scratch card games. Over 1000 kiosks throughout Laos make this company a significant source of government revenues; additionally, prize pools for certain games have recently been increased in order to draw more participants in.
Xia Rattanakone was raised in an orphanage during Laotian civil wars, before she was adopted into an American family and later returned home to search for her birth family. With some of her $55 million lottery jackpot money she plans on donating some to those responsible for raising her.
An anonymous former official speaking under condition of anonymity argued that companies responsible for operating the lottery are controlled by members of the ruling elite and that public isn’t aware of how much these private business interests pay annually in concession fees to run it. Furthermore, no regulation exists to govern how much these private business interests make through lottery. He added his hope for state control of lottery operations once more.