The 33-year-old winner told RFA that her phone has not stopped ringing since the news spread and she has received calls, texts, and notifications from friends, family, and strangers who have offered congratulations. She said she will share the prize money with her loved ones and save a portion for traveling. “South Korea, Japan, Vietnam,” she said, naming some of the destinations on her wish list.

Lottery officials in Laos are rigging the system by manipulating winning numbers, according to sources in the communist country. Drawings for the national lottery, which take place three times each week, often show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be picked, the sources told RFA’s Lao Service. For example, the winning number 509 on Oct. 14 this year appeared only as a five on purchased tickets for the entire day of the drawing until it was changed to a 9 on the radio just an hour before the draw, the sources said.

A talented storyteller, Aindravudh graduated in Language and History from the Faculty of Liberal Arts Thammasat University with a strong interest in social and political movement issues. He started writing literary works since his school days and has ventured into online article writing with easy-to-digest storytelling strategies. He specializes in lifestyle, entertainment and lucky numbers, including Thai government lottery, Laos lotto hanoi lotto.