Lottery officials in the communist Laos are rigging the system, selling tickets with numbers that appear only briefly on drawings or that have been deemed unlucky, sources in the Southeast Asian nation tell RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings take place two or three times a week, but numbers are often seen disappearing from purchased tickets after the drawing is completed. The office of prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith issued a directive on Aug. 17 urging the ministry overseeing the legal state lottery to improve transparency. A spokesperson for the ministry told RFA that it has already begun working on this issue. Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh and Bounchanh Mouangkham; written by Richard Finney.