Lottery officials in Laos are rigging the national lottery by systematically eliminating numbers on purchased tickets that would make it easier for potential winners to win large pay-outs, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. On Oct. 14 this year, for example, the number 509 suddenly disappeared from tickets sold throughout the day of the drawing after many ticket buyers sought to pick that particular number. The winning number was later changed to 662. Private business interests responsible for the lottery include relatives of some of the country’s top political leaders, an RFA source says.

hanoi lotto

The latest lottery results from the Vietnamese state-run Vietlott show two people sharing a US$12.4 million jackpot after Thursday’s drawing.