Hanoi Lotto has had a profound social impact in Vietnam. Generating millions in revenue each year for social causes and infrastructure development as well as providing job opportunities to lottery retailers and operators, Hanoi Lotto also carries risks of addiction and financial issues for players who play it regularly – in turn opening the door for illegal gambling operators who compete with official state-run lotteries but draw players away from them.
“So de,” or playing the numbers, was imported from China and quickly came to dominate Saigon’s gambling culture during old Saigon’s gambling heydays. Today, “so de” remains an integral part of Vietnamese culture: bettors use local bookmakers to wager on the final two digits of the state lottery results; each number often represents an animal, deity or fictional character and may even be selected based on life circumstances or dreams.
Vietnam lottery companies have unveiled a number of innovative new products in recent years, such as a computerized lotto system developed by Vietnam Lottery Company (a subsidiary of Malaysia’s Berjaya Corporation Bhd) that offers multiple jackpots and higher winning rates than traditional paper tickets. They hope this product will draw foreign investors while competing with international lotteries.
Government policy on gambling has gradually eased since realizing its potential to add funds to national coffers, create jobs and unite people. While gambling may be enjoyable for some people as an activity and pastime, addiction may occur; individuals may spend beyond their means. Furthermore, illegal gambling operators have mushroomed, siphoning away revenue from official lottery games while increasing public spending on illegal gaming operations – leading to financial hardship for governments worldwide.
Although Hanoi Lotto may seem like an exciting game, it should always be remembered that it is an experiment. Participants of any experiment play a vital part in an ongoing process that may alter their lives permanently; as a result, participants need to understand why and what they are doing; one way debriefing allows this is moral obligation as well as providing participants with an opportunity to discuss experiences and learn from one another’s mistakes – this will ultimately enable informed decisions moving forward.