A lottery is a game of chance in which a person can win a prize based on the numbers drawn. Some countries have national lotteries, while others have state or territory-level games. Many lotteries raise money for public education systems. Others provide funding for other government services. In the United States, the largest lottery is Powerball, which has raised more than $31 billion since its inception. Other major lotteries include Mega Millions, the Illinois Lottery, and the Washington Lottery. The lottery is a popular form of gambling, but it can also be used to fund charitable activities and civic projects.
In Canada, lotteries are operated at the provincial/territorial level by their respective governments. The interprovincial lottery consortium is owned by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario) and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories). Canada does not have a federal lottery.
Lotteries are regulated in New Zealand by an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand. It was formed in 1987 to replace the country’s original national lotteries, the Art Union and Golden Kiwi. Lotto New Zealand offers the Lotto, Keno, Bullseye and Instant Kiwi scratch card games. The company distributes the proceeds from these lotteries directly to the charities and community organizations that choose how to use them. Lottery winnings are tax-free in the country.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Cheng Saephan wore a broad smile and a blue sash emblazoned with “Iu-Mien USA” as he walked up to the podium at a news conference this month to announce that he had won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. His victory not only changed his own life, but it also raised awareness about the Iu Mien people, a southeast Asian ethnic group that fought with American forces in the Vietnam War.
RFA’s Lao Service has learned that private business interests have a hand in the management of the country’s national lottery, and that they pay the government an annual fee for a concession to run it. The business interests’ names have not been released, but RFA’s source said they include persons with connections to the ruling elite.