In the United States, lotteries are state-regulated, and the legality of lottery games depends on local laws and the type of game. Many states have specific rules for how to conduct a lottery, including who can run it, how the prizes are determined, and what the minimum payout is. Others prohibit lotteries altogether, while still others only allow a limited number of licensed operators to conduct them. Regardless of state law, players can find a wide range of lottery games online, from classic favorites like Powerball to international lottery games like the France Loto.
The winners of the Powerball jackpot are now publicly known, after a lengthy security and vetting process. The winner, Cheng Saephan, is a Laotian immigrant who lives in Portland. He won a lump sum payment of $422 million after taxes, which he will split with his wife and a friend. He plans to start a family and invest in real estate, but also hopes his newfound wealth can help other immigrants from the Iu Mien ethnic group.
New Zealand: Lotteries are controlled by the government through an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand (formerly the New Zealand Lottery Commission). Profits are distributed to community and charitable organizations through the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, which is a statutory body composed of Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand, and the National Lottery Distributing Organization. Lottery games include the Lotto, Keno, Instant Kiwi scratch card games, and Bullseye. The New Zealand Lottery has a reputation for being fair, safe, and reliable.
Bulgaria: The State Lottery is the official national lottery of Bulgaria and operates as a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Finance. The company is a member of the European Union and the International Association of State Lotteries. Its most popular games are TOTO 2 (6/49, 6/42, 5/35, and 5/50+1/12). The Bulgarian Sports Totalizator is the national centralized computer system for the sale of tickets.
Canada: Lottery was legalized in 1967 when the federal Liberal government introduced a special bill called the Omnibus Bill that brought up to date a number of obsolete laws. Prior to that, buying a ticket on the Irish Sweepstakes was illegal in Canada.
Laos: Lottery officials in the communist country of Laos are rigging the system to avoid large pay-outs, sources in Vientiane tell RFA. Drawings in the national lottery regularly show numbers that disappear from purchased tickets or appear as different digits, such as the winning number 509 on Oct. 14 this year, which was shown as a 5 on most tickets until about 10 minutes before the drawing. The companies responsible for running the lottery reportedly pay business interests connected to the ruling elite a sizable annual fee for the privilege.