A Laotian immigrant in Portland, Oregon is sharing hundreds of millions of dollars with a friend after winning the lottery. Cheng Saephan, a 46-year-old businessman, said at a news conference that he and his wife would take half the prize money, and he will give the rest to friend Laiza Chao. The couple bought three lotteries and matched five of the seven numbers drawn. They will receive a lump sum payment of more than $1.3 billion dollars after federal and state taxes. Saephan and his wife are members of the Iu Mien ethnic group that helped American troops in Vietnam during the war and later settled in the West Coast region of the United States as refugees.

Government officials in communist Laos are rigging the national lottery to prevent large pay-outs, sources in the country say. Winning numbers in the official drawing held three times a week often appear to vanish from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and are likely to be passed up, the sources told RFA’s Lao Service.

Online betting site Milyon88 offers the chance to bet on Laos Lotto Hanoi Lotto, among other Southeast Asian lottery games. Its odds are updated regularly to ensure accuracy and fairness, and the site is regulated by betting organizations. It also features a selection of popular card games, including baccarat. These games are played against the banker, not other players.