The winner of a recent lottery in the communist country of Laos said she would spend most of the winnings on her family, especially her children. She also plans to travel abroad, mentioning South Korea and Japan among her wish list destinations. “My cellphone has not stopped ringing since the news of my winning the lottery,” 33-year-old Dokkeo said, speaking to RFA’s Lao Service in the capital Vientiane. She added she has been bombarded by notifications and calls from friends, relatives and acquaintances.

The state lottery enterprise previously issued lotteries four times a week, including a scratch-card lottery, but it has since reduced its sales to twice a week. Officials have cited concerns that people are becoming addicted to gambling and have warned that it is difficult to control illegal lotteries, which often sell foreign-based lotteries.

Sources say that lottery officials manipulate winning numbers in order to avoid large pay-outs. They are accused of rigging the system by changing winning numbers or disappearing numbers from purchased tickets, and of selling foreign-based lotteries without permission.