Lao state lottery officials are rigging the system to avoid paying out large sums in winnings, sources in the communist country tell RFA. Drawings often show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets, or are deemed unlucky, and access to the winning number can be cut off at will, they say. On Oct. 14 this year, for example, the winning number 509 appeared only as a 5 on purchased tickets until shortly before the drawing was scheduled to begin, an RFA source said. Private business interests with a stake in the lottery’s work include members of the ruling elite, another source added.