Buying a lottery ticket online is a common practice in China. Thousands of websites offer a range of lottery products, including those that promise to help buyers win large amounts. Many of these sites are designed to look like coffee shops and advertise their offerings with bold slogans that promise a lucky cup of coffee. The advertisements have proven effective as sales of lottery tickets in the country reached 50 billion yuan in April, more than double the previous year’s figure.

Despite the economic downturn, people in China are still putting their faith in lotteries, a researcher says. He notes that people in the country are eager to seek luck because of tense economic conditions and high unemployment. In addition, graduates have fewer employment opportunities and are facing fierce competition in the job market.

Laos Lotto Hanoi Lotto

Lottery officials in the communist nation of Laos are rigging the system, sources in Vientiane tell RFA’s Lao Service. During drawings, winning numbers often disappear from purchased tickets or are replaced with numbers that are deemed unlucky. The number 09, for example, vanished from tickets during the Oct. 14 drawing, and appeared as 509 only 10 minutes before the drawing, a source said.