RFA’s Lao Service has learned that lottery officials in Laos are manipulating winning numbers in an attempt to limit large payouts from national lotteries, according to sources in Laos. State-run legal lottery drawings held three times a week often show numbers which either vanish from purchased tickets altogether, or that are considered unlucky, thus likely not selected; one example was October 14 when 509 only appeared as five on tickets sold throughout the day of its drawing; this may have been done so as an attempt at keeping buyers away from purchasing tickets featuring that number; sources in Vientiane claimed.
Laos’ state-run legal lottery has become an essential source of revenue for both its government and ruling elite – including family members of its president – but critics contend it has also become an addiction for millions who purchase tickets – one group, known as Stop Gambling Foundation, estimated there may be 5 million lottery addicts across Laos; it urged the government to address this problem and make lottery games more transparent.
Many companies that operate the legal state lottery in Laos are run by family members of government leaders and do not report to anyone outside their family circle. Furthermore, these lottery operators’s have been accused of misappropriating lottery profits to fund illegal gambling operations and corruption; according to reports by Laos Anti-Corruption Commission lottery profits have been used for such illicit purposes as drug trafficking and prostitution.
As well as state lotteries, several private lotteries exist across the nation. One such lottery is MCOT Lottery which offers multiple games with high prizes; their app provides additional features to enhance user experience.
Lotteries were one of the main sources of funding for religious congregations during France’s 18th-century religious revival, helping build or renovate around 15 churches including Saint Sulpice and Le Pantheon. While lottery revenues were regulated by parliament, lotteries still generated substantial sums that went directly into both church coffers and royal pockets, eventually becoming an ongoing struggle between monarchy and Church over who controlled its earnings.
Lotto began sponsoring international athletes during the 1980s, including legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff of soccer and midfielder Ruud Gullit of Dutch national team football, Moroccan athlete Said Aouita who won gold medals at both 800 meters and 10 000 m races of 1984 Olympics, tennis players Francesca Schiavone and Alberto Mancini; additionally Lotto has taken part in charity events such as United for Peace football match.