The lottery is a type of game in which participants purchase tickets and then hope to match the numbers drawn. Winnings can be used for a variety of purposes, such as funding education systems or public services. Some countries also use the proceeds to provide financial assistance to needy citizens. Lotteries are legal in some countries, while others ban them altogether or regulate them heavily.

New Zealand: New Zealand’s national lottery, Lotto, distributes profits to community groups and charities. The Lottery Grants Board is a statutory authority with the power to allocate funding. Other state-run games include keno, instant Kiwi and Bullseye. Lottery winnings are not taxed in New Zealand.

Spain: Spain’s national lottery, Loterias y Apuestas del Estado, operates on a state-owned basis and is managed by the Spanish Gambling Commission. Its prize pool averages EUR2.4 billion annually. The lottery is a popular source of revenue in Spain.

Laos: Lottery officials in communist-ruled Laos are rigging the system, sources say. Drawings of the national lottery, which take place three times each week, often show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky by Lao players. For example, the number 67 is associated with turtles, which are considered unlucky in Laos, and many players avoid purchasing tickets that contain the number.

A finance ministry official who oversees the lottery told RFA that he hopes to restore faith in the game by cutting back on drawings and ensuring more transparency. But he didn’t address reports that the private business interests that run the lottery have connections to the ruling elite, or how much those companies pay the government each year for their concession.