Laos is a landlocked Southeast Asian nation with few natural resources, and its government relies heavily on the lottery for income. However, allegations of rigging the system have raised concerns about corruption and public distrust. Amid these complaints, Laotian officials have promised to crack down on unauthorized activity. The state-run National Lottery has also expanded to offer games on the Internet. A number of private lottery websites have sprouted in recent years, but none are legal.
A spokesman for the National Lottery, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied any rigging. He said the company is working to improve transparency and to increase the size of prize payouts. In addition, he says that the company has introduced new rules to reduce the likelihood of winning multiple prizes.
The number 88, often associated with buffalos and other symbols of good fortune, appears regularly on lottery tickets sold in Laos. However, the number was reportedly removed from purchased tickets on Oct. 14 this year and returned only an hour before the drawing, a source told RFA’s Lao Service. The source alleged that the decision was made after large numbers of people tried to buy tickets including 88, which appeared on many lottery displays and advertisements.
There are 17 administrative units in Laos (in lingua lao: eikhwng, traslitterato: Khweeng): 16 provinces and 1 prefettura. Each province is divided into districts (in lingua lao: ban, translitterato: baan), and each district is further subdivided into villages. The capital city of Vientiane is a separate unit, and is not included in the list of districts.
Laotian business interests have a stake in the lottery’s operations, and they pay the state for a concession to run the lottery. The government does not disclose how much these businesses pay or whether the lottery is audited. The companies are not required to divulge their names, and some of them have connections to the country’s ruling elite.
In 1967, the Canadian Liberal government introduced a law to bring up-to-date a series of obsolete laws. One of these was the law prohibiting buying a ticket on the Irish Sweepstakes. To get around this law, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau proposed a “voluntary tax.” For a $2.00 donation, players would be eligible to win the grand prize of $100,000. However, Drapeau’s “tax” did not meet the requirements of a lottery: the winners were required to answer four questions about Montreal during a second draw and the silver bars awarded as prizes were not money.
For many poor Vietnamese citizens, selling lottery tickets is their only source of income. They prefer it to the socially detested act of begging. On a lucky day, they can make up to 230 000 VND ($10 US dollars)—just enough to survive. But a bad day could mean no income at all. In the meantime, Huong, a single mother from Saigon, is raising her baby while hustling lottery tickets in a small shop in downtown Saigon. The money isn’t much, but it keeps her family from starving.