Lotteries are games of chance where people can win a prize by buying a ticket. They are popular in many countries around the world. In some countries, the proceeds from lotteries are used to help public services such as education and hospitals. In other countries, the money is used for gambling. The winnings of a lottery can be very large. This is why some people consider it a risky game.

In the United States, there are state-licensed lotteries, which are operated by private companies under contract with a government agency. These lotteries offer several types of games including instant tickets, keno and video lottery terminals (slot machines in all but name). Some states also allow players to play online games. These games are usually not as lucrative as a traditional lotto game, but can be more convenient for some players.

New Zealand has four national lotteries, which are run by Lotto New Zealand, an autonomous Crown entity. Lottery profits are distributed by the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board to a range of charities and community organizations. The lotteries include the Lotto, Instant Kiwi, Bullseye and Keno. In addition to the four national lotteries, there are a number of privately owned and licensed internet sites that sell lottery-style games, which are often called scratch cards.

The largest lottery in the world is EuroMillions, which is managed by the Camelot Group. Its prize pool is over €2.4 billion and it has a top prize/jackpot of over EUR4 million. The jackpot is triggered when the winning numbers match up in the correct order, and each number is assigned a fixed value of a certain amount of euros.

In Vietnam, the state-run Vietlott lottery company has announced that two customers will share a US$12 million (VND314.1 billion) Jackpot 1 prize following Thursday’s drawing. The winners were from Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

The couple said that they will split the jackpot and take half for themselves. Saephan and his wife, Duanpen, will give the rest to a friend who helped them buy their tickets. The winner, who wore a sash at the news conference identifying himself as an Iu Mien, a group of Southeast Asian immigrants that fought alongside American forces in the Vietnam War, is planning to use his winnings to help other members of his family and support his medical treatments for cancer. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2016. He said he is currently undergoing chemotherapy. He and his wife plan to move to a house in Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland, Oregon.