Lotteries are a form of gambling in which people purchase chances to win prizes, such as cash or goods. These games are legal in some countries and are regulated by law. Some have fixed prizes, while others award prizes based on a draw of numbers or other information. In the United States, there are several state-regulated lotteries. Some are operated by federally chartered corporations, while others are run by government agencies or local governments. The lottery has long been a popular activity among many people around the world. In the past, lotteries were primarily available through retail outlets, but now online lotteries are also available. This type of online lottery is a great option for those who cannot afford to visit traditional retail outlets or do not live in a state where lotteries are available.
In Canada, the legal state lottery is administered by a consortium of five regional lotteries that are owned by their respective provincial/territorial governments: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut). These companies administer four nationwide games: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, Daily Grand, and Millionaire Life. In addition, each province/territory runs its own local lotteries.
The state-run national lottery is a multi-channel operation with both a telephone lottery and an Internet lottery platform. It is also open to the disabled, the elderly, and members of the military. Its products include instant scratch-off tickets and draw games. The telephone lottery is available to residents of all ten provinces and the territory of Yukon, with the exception of Quebec, where it is only offered through a regional operator.
Despite its relatively recent history, the national lottery is very well established in Canada. Its roots can be traced to a series of lottery games conducted by the French colonial administration in the 17th century, including the “loterie du Roi” and the “loterie de la Chambre des Premières Chances”. In the 19th century, a variety of additional lotteries were established, with the first public French lottery appearing in 1835 and the first private lotteries in 1836.
While the legal state lottery is the primary source of gambling in Laos, illegal lottery operations have sprung up in the country. In the past, these illegal lotteries were able to offer multiple lucky draws and have drawn participants from abroad. However, in order to reduce their impact on the state budget, the Ministry of Finance has recently stepped up action against these unlawful lotteries.
This talk will explore the many things that lottery playing, choosing, and winning means for people in Laos. It will trace the political, economic and moral history of state-run lotteries since 1975, and examine how these lotteries rationalize themselves as an economic activity that is coherent with socialist goals. It will also consider what it was like to be a lottery player in Luang Prabang while conducting ethnographic research on the matter from 2013-2016.