State lottery officials in the communist nation of Laos are manipulating the system to avoid paying large prize payouts, sources have told RFA’s Lao Service. The office of the prime minister has issued a directive that requires the ministry overseeing the legal state lottery to work with public security officials to manage what is being described as a serious problem. The directive calls for the number of drawing times to be reduced and lottery winnings to be handled more transparently. It also prohibits informal football lotteries and lottery chances sold via short messaging services. RFA’s Ounkeo Souksavanh and Bounchanh Mouangkham contributed to this report.