Online lottery is a popular pastime in Laos, but the country’s state lottery enterprise is being corrupted by private business interests with links to the ruling elite, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. The national lotteries held three times a week are riddled with bogus results. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, the winning number 09 disappeared from purchased tickets during the day of the drawing after many buyers sought to buy tickets with that number. It reappeared only an hour before the lottery was drawn, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Officials are tackling the problem by limiting the number of lottery drawings and banning the sale of foreign-based lotteries, Finance Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth told lawmakers. But he said investment was needed to develop a system that can trace those selling illegal lottery tickets. He added that he believes the government will resume control of the lottery by next year.