Lotteries are popular gambling games where a prize is awarded to the winner based on random selection. These prizes can include cash, goods, services, and even property. Some countries regulate lotteries, while others ban them. The government of Laos is currently considering ways to restore faith in the national lottery, a committee member told RFA’s Lao Service. Among other things, the official said changes may include reducing the number of drawing days.
The upcoming provincial and territorial lotteries are run by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of five regional lottery commissions, each owned by the governments of their respective provinces or territories: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), and British Columbia Lottery Corporation (British Columbia). Canada is one of only three countries in the world that has a national lottery.
In the United States, the federal government does not have a national lottery; instead, each state or territory runs its own lottery. A few of these lotteries are managed by private businesses; however, most are operated by state agencies or non-profit organizations. The American Gaming Association reports that private business interests own or operate about 40% of the country’s lotteries.
Some of the larger private companies involved in running the lottery in Laos are linked to the ruling elite. A former government official who wished to remain anonymous told RFA’s Lao Service that many of the companies responsible for conducting the lottery have business ties to members of the ruling elite, including people from the families of national leaders such as Prime Minister Thongsing and President Khamtay Siphandone. The official said the government should reclaim control of the lottery, because the private business interests can’t be trusted.
For poor people in Vietnam, selling lottery tickets is often their only source of income. The social security system of this Asian nation isn’t up to the task of handling all the needy, so these people choose to beg on the streets, or sell tickets for the lottery, rather than face humiliation and rejection by their peers. On good days, lottery sellers can make up to 230 000 VN-Dong per day, or about 10 US-Dollars.
Some Lotto players have begun questioning the integrity of the national lottery after recent controversies. In September, several questions arose over the winning numbers for the last three drawings. The number 67, for example, is commonly associated with the turtle, an animal that is believed to bring bad luck. Also, the 09 disappeared from some winning numbers, causing suspicions that the company behind the lottery is tampering with results to ensure its executives win. The officials who oversee the lottery have responded to these concerns by announcing that they are taking steps to address them. The exact nature of these measures is unclear, but they may include re-examining the rules for selecting winners and ensuring that the winning numbers are randomly chosen.