The government is rigging the lottery in Laos by changing winning numbers from time to time, sources in the communist country tell RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings for the legal state lottery are often marred by corruption, with favored numbers disappearing from purchased tickets before the drawing takes place. For example, the number 509 was seen only as 134 on tickets sold throughout Oct. 14, but was changed to 662 shortly before the drawing, a source told RFA on condition of anonymity. On Aug. 17, the office of prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith sent a directive requiring the Ministry of Finance to reduce the number of lottery drawings to one per week and handle winnings in a more transparent manner.