The state-owned International Lottery in Liechtenstein Foundation (ILLF) pioneered Internet gaming. In 1995, it launched the first online lottery and processed the world’s first online gambling transaction. The ILLF also provides charitable projects and organizations domestically and internationally. Unlike most state-run lotteries, it does not tax winnings in the country. Instead, it encourages responsible play. The ILLF operates multiple websites, including PLUS Lotto, and pays prizes valued up to $25,000, less offsets and obligations, by check on the day the prize is claimed.
In Vietnam, lottery tickets are sold by the Vietnam Lottery Company, which was established in 2011 and is owned by the Ministry of Finance. The agency distributes point-of-sale licenses to authorized lottery retailers across the country. It operates two traditional lotteries—Mega 6/45 and Power 6/55—as well as daily Keno games. It is the only lottery operator in the country that offers bag entry, which enables players to select up to 18 numbers in advance.
Nevertheless, illegal lotteries are thriving online. Many of them offer multiple lucky draws in a single day. In an effort to address the problem, officials have asked for more funding to develop a system to track illegal operators. The government has also begun to regulate a growing number of online casinos. However, this is not an easy task because the legal status of online gambling is somewhat complicated in Laos.
The illlegal lotteries lure people into habitual betting, but they are difficult to trace because of their online presence, the minister said. “We need a lot of investment in order to deal with this issue,” Bounchom said, responding to questions from lawmakers. He added that the government is looking for ways to tackle the problem, but it is difficult to stop people from betting on these lotteries because of the convenience and accessibility they provide.
In Canada, the four nationwide lotteries are operated by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of five regional lottery commissions: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) and Manitoba Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Manitoba). The lottery has become a major source of revenue for the provinces and territories.
The provincial governments are reluctant to take a strong stance against these illegal lotteries because they are also trying to generate other types of revenue. For example, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau recently announced a lottery game that gives players silver bars in exchange for a $2.00 “tax”. The tax is not a tax in the traditional sense, but is considered a voluntary contribution to a city project. It is a way for the city to recover some of the money spent on the Expo 67 and its subway system. The project was not popular with residents. The city council eventually dropped the plan. Montreal’s lottery revenues have since fallen to a record low. The city is now facing a large deficit and is reducing spending on other municipal programs.