Lotteries are gambling games in which numbers are drawn at random for a prize. These games are popular throughout the world and raise a great deal of money for state governments and charitable organizations. Some people even make a living by selling lottery tickets. The prizes may be cash or goods. The prizes may also be tickets to various events or vacations. Some states have a state-run lottery while others license private companies to run them. Several countries, including the United States, have legalized lotteries and many are regulated by laws.
In Laos, the government is trying to crack down on illegal lottery games. In August, the office of prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith sent a directive requiring the ministry that oversees the country’s legal state lottery to work with the Ministry of Public Security to better manage the problem, sources told RFA’s Lao Service. The directive said state lottery drawings should be reduced from two to one per week and that winnings must be handled more transparently. It also urged the government to close down informal football lotteries and lottery chances sold through mobile phone short messaging services.
The Laotian state lottery is run by the National Lottery Administration and sells three types of lottery tickets: Cilgin Sayisal Loto (6/90), Super Loto (6/60) and Sans Topu (5/34 + 1/14). The company sells more than 10 million lottery tickets a month. In addition, the state operates a keno and video lottery terminals.
Laotian lottery officials are suspected of rigging the system to avoid large pay-outs, according to RFA’s sources in the Southeast Asian nation. Drawings for the national lottery have often shown numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be chosen, the sources said. For example, in a drawing held on Oct. 14 this year, the number 509 showed up only on ticket stubs that had been purchased throughout the day of the draw.
Canada used to have a federally-regulated lottery, but in 1967 the Liberal government introduced an Omnibus Bill designed to bring up to date many out-of-date laws. Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, seeking a way to recover some of the money spent on the World’s Fair and a subway system, announced a “voluntary tax” in which he would match silver bars won by players. While there were debates in Ottawa and Quebec City over the legality of this levy, the monthly lotto draws went ahead without interruption. In 1969, the government amended the Criminal Code to allow a province to operate its own lottery systems. It has since developed into a nationwide game with four regional lotteries: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario) and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). The provinces also run online lotteries.