The number of online lotteries has grown rapidly in recent years. These services, operated by firms such as GTech Corporation, administer a significant percentage of worldwide lottery sales. However, the legality of these companies is in question. In the United States, the laws governing lottery play have not kept pace with technological advances, and many state gaming commissions consider these services to be illegal.
Private lotteries are not as common in New Zealand as they are in the United States. New Zealand’s national lottery is run by Lotto New Zealand, an autonomous Crown entity funded through the Lottery Grants Board, and profits are distributed directly to sport, cultural and community organizations. The New Zealand Government does not tax lottery winnings.
The state-owned company that runs the Lao lottery also knows which numbers players choose and that allows its executives to manipulate the system, a lottery salesman told RFA’s Lao Service. In one instance, the cat-related number 509 appeared only as a five on tickets sold throughout the day of the Oct. 14 drawing after many people sought to purchase the lucky number representing the feline symbol of Lao culture. It then reappeared as 09 just 10 minutes before the drawing.
Laos’ official lottery is held thrice weekly and the country’s communist-ruled government claims it is honest. But the numbers drawn often do not match those purchased, and shenanigans appear to be rampant, sources say. On Aug. 17, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith’s office sent a directive asking the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the legal state lottery, to work with the ministry of security to improve transparency and eliminate the improprieties.
Drawings should be reduced from two to one a week and winnings handled in a more transparent manner, the directive said. It also called for an end to informal football lotteries and lottery chances purchased through the text messaging service. The government will also investigate whether the private company that sells the lottery has been involved in any of the irregularities, deputy finance minister and state lottery supervisor Sila Viengkeo told RFA.
Although Canadians are familiar with lotteries, they might not realize that they are a form of gambling. Canada has four nationwide lotteries: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand and Millionaire Life. The Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of five regional lotteries owned by the provincial and territorial governments, operates these games. Lotto 6/49 is the most popular, with a jackpot of approximately $50 million. Other games include Keno, Bullseye and Instant Kiwi scratch card games. All of these are legal in Canada, which does not tax lotteries. However, lottery winnings are still subject to federal taxes. A tax rebate is available for Quebec residents who are at least 18.