Lottery Online – Play Smarter, Play Securely
With more people than ever playing lottery-style games on the Internet, state and national governments are concerned about how to regulate these activities. Some jurisdictions, like Oregon, prohibit winners from revealing their identities to the public, while others are more relaxed, but there is no uniform approach to regulation. In the United States, a law passed in 2006 requires that winning tickets be sold by licensed re-sellers, who are responsible for verifying that the game’s winning numbers match the numbers on the ticket. However, even this rule does not stop some unlicensed operators from selling lottery tickets, which can result in fraudulent claims and other legal issues.
The lottery is a popular way to raise funds for many different causes, including health care, education and infrastructure projects. Typically, the money raised through the lottery is distributed by the state or province where the lottery takes place. Each state or province operates its own lottery, but some of them have also formed regional lotteries to promote tourism and other industries. Many of these lottery funds are used for education, but the largest chunk is usually set aside to fund public services.
Despite being a highly controversial form of gambling, the lottery is an important source of revenue for many governments around the world. Historically, the lottery has been criticized for its ties to organized crime and corrupt officials, but its revenues have increased dramatically in recent years due to technological advances, especially in computer hardware and software. The growing popularity of online lottery games has also contributed to the industry’s growth.
A man from the Laotian town of Savannakhet won a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot on April 13, becoming one of the biggest lottery winners in US history. He said he would split the prize with his wife, Duanpen, and give part to a friend. He and his wife plan to open a restaurant and invest the rest. The winner, who purchased a ticket at a convenience store in Portland, is an immigrant from the Iu Mien ethnic minority. The Portland area has a large Iu Mien community, with its own Buddhist temple, Baptist church, social organizations and businesses.
New Zealand Lottery
The New Zealand lottery is operated by an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand (Lotto NZ), which distributes profits to Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand and the Lottery Grants Board, distributing the allocation to community organizations. It has four games: Lotto, Keno, Instant Kiwi and Bullseye.
Lottery officials in the communist nation of Laos are rigging the system to avoid big pay-outs, sources in the capital of Vientiane tell RFA’s Lao Service. During lottery drawings, which take place three times each week, the winning numbers often vanish from purchased tickets or appear as numbers that are considered unlucky. In addition, lottery companies with a stake in the national lottery are controlled by business interests that have close connections to Lao political leaders.