For the poorest citizens of Vietnam, selling lottery tickets is a lifeline. In a country where social security systems aren’t yet able to handle the growing number of poor people, they choose this lucrative business over socially detested begging. On a lucky day, a ticket seller can make up to 230,000 VN-Dong, or 10 US-Dollars. For these individuals, it is often more than enough to pay the rent and buy some food.
In the United States, state lotteries are operated under a variety of names and vary in size and scope. Some are run by the government while others are privately owned. Some of the larger private lotteries include Mega Millions and Powerball. These lotteries are popular around the world and raise significant amounts of money for various programs.
Oregon’s $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot winner was a Laotian immigrant who works as an immigrant laborer and lives in Portland, according to the state lottery. Cheng Saephan, who purchased a winning ticket at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in early April, said he will take half of the prize and split the rest with his wife, Duanpen, and a friend who chipped in $100 to buy tickets with them, Laiza Chao. They will take a lump sum payment, $422m after taxes.
Across the world, governments have developed different systems for running lotteries. In the UK, there are state-run games such as Lotto and Thunderball, and there is also a national game called EuroMillions. In addition, there are several privately-run lotteries such as The Health Lottery in the Republic of Ireland and Loteria Electronica Internacional Dominicana in the Dominican Republic.
Laos has its own legalized lotteries, but the state enterprise that runs them has a history of corruption. A state official speaking on condition of anonymity told RFA that business interests connected to the Lao ruling elite run the lottery and have a stake in its profits. He said the public is not informed how much these businesses pay each year for the licenses to sell the lottery. The state government doesn’t even inspect the lottery’s operations, he added.
A state lawmaker who criticized the lottery enterprise has called for it to be taken over by the government, saying it is a waste of public funds. The lawmaker, Bounchom Chansanga, said he has heard complaints from the public that the state-run lottery enterprise is issuing too many lotteries and encouraging habitual gambling. In response, the state lottery is now limiting its sales to two lotteries a week and is ending its scratch card lottery. It is also working to crack down on illegal lottery sales. The government hopes the measures will boost revenue. This will help the lottery enterprise improve its services and reduce its reliance on government subsidies. It will also enable the company to invest in new technologies and expand its operations. In the future, the agency hopes to offer more lotteries and improve its website. It will also promote the use of online and mobile applications.