The National Lottery of Laos, which has a jackpot of nearly $1.3 billion, is rigged to favor big winners and deprive the majority of players, sources in the communist nation tell RFA’s Lao Service. In many drawings, the winning numbers appear only on tickets sold early in the day of the drawing, or they vanish from purchased tickets completely. The number 509, for example, appeared only as a five on tickets that were sold throughout the day of Oct. 14’s winning drawing.
Laos’s government has a long history of corruption and is unable to govern effectively, the sources say. Lottery officials are not immune from bribery and manipulation of the system. They have also been accused of buying up large numbers of lottery tickets for personal gain and of shambolic management. Despite these problems, the lottery is still popular among the population of the country, which is around two million people.
New Zealand Lottery
Lotteries in New Zealand are operated by the government through an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand (formerly the New Zealand Lottery Commission). Its profits are distributed directly to charities and community organizations. Lotto New Zealand also sponsors sport and cultural events, including the Lotto Classic and the Auckland Rugby Union. The New Zealand Lottery also runs scratch card games such as Bullseye and Instant Kiwi, and keno machines.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Lao immigrant who won a Powerball prize of more than $422 million will give half to a friend. Forty-six-year-old Cheng Saephan wore a bright blue sash emblazoned with the words “Iu Mien USA” at a news conference this month to announce his good fortune. His family is part of the Iu Mien ethnic group, which was once a subsistence farmer in Laos but assisted American troops in the Vietnam War. Thousands of Iu Mien fled to Thailand and then settled in the United States.
The first instant lottery game was introduced in the 1970s, becoming a major source of lottery revenue. Today, the lottery industry is a multi-billion dollar business with a variety of instant games available in most jurisdictions. In addition to traditional instant games, some lotteries have also added keno and video lottery terminals.
The government has several legal mechanisms to protect lottery players. In some cases, the state lottery is managed by the government, while in others it is run by private businesses that have been granted a license to operate the games. Lotteries are popular with the general public, but they can be risky if not played responsibly. Taking precautions such as reading the rules of each game before purchasing a ticket can help players avoid the risk of gambling addiction. Moreover, the government has established a number of organizations to assist players. Various online resources are available to help players choose the right game and avoid gambling addiction. Some of these sites are even available in languages other than English, making them accessible to a greater audience.