Lottery officials in the communist nation of Laos rig the system to prevent large pay-outs, according to sources in the country. Drawings frequently show numbers that disappear from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky by buyers, one source told RFA’s Lao Service. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, a winning number of 509 appeared only as five on tickets sold throughout the day after large numbers of people sought to purchase tickets with that number. The number was eventually changed to 662 only 10 minutes before the scheduled drawing.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the state lottery, said an Aug. 17 directive from the office of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith orders improvements in transparency and reduction of drawings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.