Lotteries are popular games of chance in many countries. They are governed by laws regulating their operation. Several countries have national lotteries and others have regional ones. In Canada, there are four nationwide lottery games: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand, and Millionaire Life. The national lottery is administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of provincial and territorial governments: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia).
In addition to these public sector organizations, private companies also operate lotteries worldwide. One example is GTech Corporation, based in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, which runs 70% of the world’s online and instant lottery business. The company has patents for new types of lottery games and has developed a system that lets players buy tickets through the Internet without having to leave their homes.
The popularity of online and instant lotteries has increased with the growth of the Internet. In the past, people only could purchase lottery tickets in person at local outlets. Now, they can do so from their computers and even watch the live drawing on TV. The popularity of the lottery is also attributed to the Internet’s convenience, as it allows people to play whenever they want, no matter where they are in the world.
In the United States, state lottery systems are regulated by federal and state laws. Most of the states have lottery websites that allow residents to purchase tickets and track winning numbers. The websites also offer information about the history and current status of the lottery industry in each state. The state of Kentucky, for instance, has an extensive website that includes historical winning numbers and statistics.
For many Vietnamese, selling lottery tickets is their only source of income. They choose the job over the socially detested act of begging, which can earn them only about 10 US-Dollars per day. On good days, Huong makes 250 lottery tickets a day. Her husband Manh accompanies her during their 16-hour shift.
The first month since Vietnam’s new lottery system was put into operation has brought in more than VND30 trillion ($1.9 billion), the official website of Vietlott reported on Oct. 18. The new system, a joint venture between Malaysian Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) and Vietnamese Vietlott, has established 800 points of sales in the country’s cities and provinces. The company hopes to open a further 10,000 points of sale over the next five years.