Hanoi Lotto is an increasingly popular gambling game that raises revenue for social causes and infrastructure development, while providing jobs. But like any game, the Hanoi Lotto also has its share of potential drawbacks; players should play responsibly; too much addiction can lead to financial issues and criminal activities, while there may also be illegal operators competing with government-run lotteries that siphon off players away, leading to damage in terms of economy and corruption.
Although risky, hanoi lotto remains incredibly popular across Vietnam with 14% of national revenues coming from lottery. People from all walks of life take part and it has become part of Vietnamese culture; games are held twice weekly with anticipation building leading up to draws being palpable.
Lotteries are big business, and companies compete fiercely to outdo one another with promotions. Some even offer special prizes of up to 12 billion dong for the top winner; other prizes may also be given out for players with the most tickets won.
A typical lottery ticket costs only VND10,000 ($0.43) and buyers can select six numbers between 1 and 45 from 1 to 45 for random selection each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening; otherwise the jackpot carries over. The lottery game has proven particularly popular in southern regions of Vietnam where lottery sales account for over 80% of national revenue.
Northerners tend to be less drawn to gambling; their northern counterparts tend to be more cautious and risk-averse and tend not to gamble like those living in the south, leading them to only contribute 7% of nationwide lottery revenue from there. But lottery popularity in general is growing across the state – in addition to paper tickets, there will soon be scratch-to-win tickets as well as an online version of the game being implemented here as well.
Although lottery winners have decreased, many still find lottery business to be lucrative. Since the introduction of special prize tiers, competitors in the lottery industry are competing to increase market share by offering reduced ticket prices and greater rewards in order to attract customers.
Ho Chi Minh City lottery shop District 5 no longer attracts as much foot traffic; previously selling 500-700 tickets daily; today sales have fallen to 300-400 tickets due to company’s launch of a special prize of up to 12 billion dong – 10 times higher than traditional lotteries prizes.
Competition between lottery websites has led to the proliferation of illegal ones that often operate overseas under different domain names and often appear similar. Such illegal websites may offer similar designs and services as their official counterpart, while some even function as fronts for organized crime groups that use fake lottery advertisements in order to lure victims away from legitimate lottery services.