Lotteries are government-sponsored games in which players compete for prizes. They are usually held at least weekly and often on a daily basis. The prize money is distributed by the state or territory in which the lottery is operated, and winnings are taxed. In some jurisdictions, a portion of lottery proceeds is used to finance public education systems. Increasingly, private lottery operators are competing with traditional lotteries by offering their own products over the Internet.
Online lotteries have been growing in popularity, with the emergence of instant-win games such as scratch cards and Powerball. These are offered in many languages, and the number of winners is much greater than in traditional games. In the United States, lottery revenue is mainly generated by sales of state-approved lotteries and instant tickets. Many states have also added keno and video lottery terminals (slot machines in all but name).
The world’s oldest lotteries are in Greece, where they date back to ancient times. The first recorded drawing was in the sixth century BC. The Greeks used to draw numbers from a bowl, with the highest number representing the winner. Later, the Romans adopted the game and adapted the rules to their culture.
In the modern age, most lotteries use a random-number generator to select winners. In addition to the main draw, most modern lotteries also feature secondary draws such as the EuroMillions jackpot and the SuperEnalotto top prize. In the United States, large amounts of revenue are generated by the sale of lottery tickets and the distribution of prizes to the winner and to charities.
Laos’ communist government manipulates the national lottery in order to avoid paying out large pay-outs, sources say. Drawings in the country’s national lottery, which takes place three times a week, are rigged to prevent high payouts. A source in the capital Vientiane told RFA that lottery officials rig the drawing by manipulating numbers on purchased tickets. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, the winning number 509 appeared only as a 5 on tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing. This number is associated in Laos with the buffalo, a symbol of good fortune, the source said.
This talk, by anthropologist Charles Zuckerman, will explore the history of lotteries in Laos since 1975 and the mechanics of their operation. Then, he will discuss his ethnographic research in Luang Prabang on what playing the lottery and choosing numbers means for people there. He will focus on the many things that lottery play reveals about the social and moral meanings of gambling. He will also suggest that a study of the lottery might shed light on the functioning of Lao state enterprises generally.