A Laotian immigrant in Oregon will split hundreds of millions of dollars with a friend after winning the Powerball lottery. Forty-six-year-old Cheng Saephan will take half the prize and give the rest to a friend, Laiza Chao of the Portland suburb of Milwaukie. Chao chipped in $100 to buy a batch of tickets with Saephan. Saephan said he plans to use the money to travel and help his family.
The winners are not identified until they claim their prizes. The first step is to verify that the winning ticket is authentic. After that, the winner must sign a form that includes their name and address. They must also provide identification. This information is used for claiming the prize and for tax purposes.
Online lottery games are becoming increasingly popular. Many states are making them legal. Others have strict rules on who can play and how often. These rules are designed to keep people safe from fraudulent activity and fraudsters who try to scam the lottery system. The state of Massachusetts has made it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase a lottery ticket. It is important for players to research the lottery rules before purchasing a ticket.
Before 1967 buying a lottery ticket was illegal in Canada. That year the federal Liberal government introduced a bill (called an Omnibus Bill) to bring a number of outdated laws up to date. The bill included an amendment concerning lotteries. It also reformed the Canadian Gaming Act to make it easier for provinces to regulate them.
Today, there are four nationwide lotteries in Canada: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced the previous Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand, and Millionaire Life. There are also a number of private lotteries. These are primarily operated by small companies that offer services such as playing online or through mobile phones. The most popular game in Canada is the Lotto 6/49, with an average jackpot of $120 million.
Officials in the communist nation of Laos are rigging the national lottery by manipulating winning numbers, sources in the country tell RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings frequently show numbers that disappear from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be picked. For example, on Oct. 14 this year the winning number 509 appeared only as a five on tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing. This happened after many Lao buyers sought to purchase tickets including the number, a source told RFA. The company that runs the national lottery is owned by private business interests with connections to the ruling elite. The government should resume control of the lottery, the source says.