Lotteries are games of chance in which numbers are drawn to win prizes. They are legal in most jurisdictions and are regulated by governments to prevent money laundering and other crimes. Many states and countries have state-run lottery corporations, while others have private lotteries or a mixture of public and private organizations. The prizes vary, but often include cash and merchandise. Some of the larger lotteries award multi-million dollar jackpots.
The government-controlled National Lottery in England and Wales is the largest lottery in Europe. Its annual prize pool exceeds £2.5 billion. In addition to the main draw, there are instant scratchcards and keno. Private companies operate a number of online lotteries, including the Camelot Group-owned EuroMillions and The Health Lottery in the UK.
Buying tickets for the Lottery is easy and requires adherence to age restrictions and drawing times. Individuals must purchase a ticket from authorized retailers, choose numbers and receive a printed ticket that serves as proof of purchase and entry into the lottery. The ticket must be kept safe and is required to claim any winnings.
New Zealand’s national lotteries are operated by an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand (formerly the New Zealand Lottery Commission). It distributes proceeds through the Lottery Grants Board to charities and community groups. It also operates a range of other games, including Keno, Bullseye and Instant Kiwi.
A Laotian immigrant has won hundreds of millions of dollars in a game of chance. Cheng Saephan of Portland, Oregon, said he will share half the winnings with a friend who helped him buy tickets. Both are members of the Iu Mien ethnic group that fought alongside American forces during the Vietnam War.
In a news conference, Saephan said he was surprised and grateful. “I’m very lucky and I thank my family for everything they did to help me,” he said. “I’m very happy to share this with my friend.”
While the winnings are significant, lottery sales have dropped and are below projections. Many people are not interested in playing the game because it is too difficult to keep track of the results and there is no guarantee that a ticket will be a winner. Many players are concerned about the accuracy of the results and the likelihood that the lottery company will rig the games.
Lottery officials in the communist country of Laos are rigging the national lottery, manipulating winning numbers in order to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the Southeast Asian nation say. Drawings for the national lottery, which are held three times a week, frequently show numbers that disappear from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be chosen, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. But Vilasack Phommaluck, the chairman of the national lottery steering committee, dismissed the allegation, saying such behavior was outside his purview. He also told RFA that the lottery company double checks the weight of each ball. Reporting by Brooks Boliek; Editing by Peter Martin.