Laos lottery officials are rigging the system, manipulating winning numbers to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the communist nation tell RFA. For example, the number 09 – associated with the buffalo symbol of good fortune – disappeared from purchased tickets in the national lottery drawing on Oct. 14 this year, and was later reintroduced as the winner’s number only an hour before the drawing began, a source told RFA’s Lao Service. The source said private business interests behind the lottery are also influenced by personal connections with ruling elite members.

Finance Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth has called for action to regulate illegal online lotteries, saying they lure people into habitual gambling and should be treated as a serious crime. He said he is confident authorities in charge can deal with the issue but that investment is needed to develop a system that can trace those involved in selling illegal lottery tickets online.

Watch the live broadcast of the results of the Phattana lottery today, August 9, 2023 from 8:00 PM. Follow along as the results are unveiled live streaming straight from the prize room. For more details, click here. Talented storyteller Graduated in Language and History from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts. He has a deep interest in social and political movement issues. Writing literary works since his school days, he ventured into online article writing with simple and easy-to-digest storytelling strategies. His specialty covers lifestyle, entertainment and lucky numbers namely Thai government lottery, Laos lottery and Hanoi lottery.