The Internet has brought a host of companies offering lottery-style games to players worldwide. Many of these sites provide free play, supplemented by advertising or other revenue streams. Others charge premiums on base lottery prices, and a few specialize in selling tickets online. The largest of these is GTech Corporation, based in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. It handles 70% of the world’s online lottery business, according to a company statement.
Lottery officials in the communist country of Laos are rigging the system to avoid large pay-outs, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. Often, the winning numbers in the national lottery are missing from purchased tickets or appear as different numbers. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, the winning number 509 appeared only as 5 on tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing after large numbers of people tried to buy tickets including that particular number, a source told RFA.
In addition, the winning numbers are often shown as a single digit after the decimal point, rather than as two digits. This can make it difficult for people who have purchased multiple tickets to determine whether they have won a prize or not. The lottery system also lacks transparency, with the winners’ names and other details not always available to the public.
Despite the controversy, the state lottery is still a popular source of income in Vietnam. As the nation’s social security systems are not yet able to handle the large number of poor Vietnamese citizens, selling lottery tickets is one way to support their families. Depending on their luck, lottery ticket sellers can earn up to 230 000 VND per day, which is just enough to live on.
In other news, the Lao government has issued a directive that calls for a reduction in the number of drawings from two to one a week and for a more transparent manner in handling the winnings. It also requires that informal football lotteries and lottery chances sold through mobile phone messaging services be shut down. Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh and Bounchanh Mouangkham for RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Richard Finney.