Lottery games are a popular way to test your luck in Laos, even though the odds of winning can be slim. Known as suutrhwylaaw, they can be played online or at brick-and-mortar shops that sell lottery tickets. The government runs the national lottery, and some of the proceeds go to charities.
But there are growing concerns that lottery officials in the communist country are rigging the game, with numbers appearing and disappearing from purchased tickets before drawings. One recent incident saw the number feline—which represents the cat in Lao culture—appear as 509 on tickets sold throughout the day of a drawing, but it disappeared from the winning numbers before the actual drawing began. A lottery salesman who spoke to RFA’s Lao Service said that executives at Thailand-based Insee Trading Company, which runs the lottery in Laos, know what numbers people choose and can manipulate them accordingly.
Other suspicions have been raised over the weight of the lottery balls used in the thrice-weekly drawing, with some players saying the heaviest ball is more likely to win. A Finance Ministry official serving on the committee that oversees the lottery, Vilasack Phommaluck, dismissed these claims, telling RFA that the committee double checks the weight of the lottery balls.
A popular pastime among many Laos is dreaming of lottery numbers, with people asking each other “have you had any good dreams lately?” in reference to interpreting their dreams for lucky lotto numbers. But while dreaming is a common activity, it’s not clear whether this helps people win the lottery.
To play the lottery you need to purchase a ticket for a minimum of 1,000 kip and register your name and address on the form provided at the retail store. The ticket must be presented to the Retailer before the closing time of the draw. The Retailer will then run your ticket and numbers through a machine to check that it is valid. The Retailer may refuse to accept a ticket that has been damaged, mutilated, illegible or tampered with in any way.
You can also find the results of the last lottery draw by visiting your local newspaper or on the internet. Some of these sites will display the results of previous draws and have a link to the Laos Lottery website where you can find the full list of results for past lottery games.