In the United States, lotteries are a form of gambling that offers participants the chance to win cash or other prizes for a small cost. Many states have legalized and regulated state-run lotteries, while others allow private companies to run them. In addition, the federal government regulates certain types of lottery games. Lottery winners are subject to federal tax laws.
In Canada, provincial/territorial governments run lotteries. There are currently four nationwide lotteries: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, Daily Grand, and Millionaire. Each provincial/territorial lottery commission is a separate corporation owned by the respective province or territory.
Before 1967, buying a lottery ticket was illegal in Canada. In that year the Liberal government introduced a special law (an Omnibus Bill) to bring up-to-date a number of outdated laws, including the prohibition on buying tickets. The bill was sponsored by Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau, who wanted to recover some of the money spent on the World’s Fair and the new subway system. His solution was not a tax but a “voluntary lottery”, which would require a $2.00 “donation” and allow players to participate in a lottery draw with a prize of $100,000. The prize was to be awarded in silver bars rather than dollars, and a winner’s winnings were to be determined by answering correctly four questions about Montreal during a second lottery draw.
Despite the fact that many people have bought the tickets for this lottery, the winner’s identity has not been publicly released yet. The Oregon Lottery says that the winner will go through a security and vetting process before their name is made public. Under Oregon law, with few exceptions, lottery players cannot remain anonymous. The winner has one year to claim the top prize.
To check your lotto numbers, take your tickets to any grocery or convenience store and ask the owner to verify them. Most stores have a machine that they will run your ticket through to see if it has any winning numbers. If you have won, they will hand you a smaller ticket with the winning numbers and numbers printed on it. Some stores will let you choose whether to pay your prize in a lump sum or in annuity payments over 30 years.
If you want to know more about the results of the lottery, you can watch the live streams of the drawings. These videos are available online and on the Maryland Lottery’s YouTube channel. They are also included in the evening Lottery drawings. To watch the live stream, click on the Evening Lottery tab.
A caller to RFA’s Lao service told us that business interests with a stake in the state lottery include members of the country’s ruling elite. He said the lottery should be 100 percent managed by the state, not by businesses with connections to the political leadership. Lao deputy finance minister and state lottery supervisor Sila Viengkeo defended the lottery, saying that allegations of corruption are unfounded. RFA’s Ounkeo Souksavanh and Bounchanh Mouangkham contributed to this report.