Lotteries have long been an integral component of state economies. Lotteries fund public projects such as schools, roads, and hospitals while providing revenue to state enterprises. Furthermore, lottery revenue supports religious congregations by providing additional income streams that enable them to meet financial obligations more easily. Furthermore, lottery sales serve as an effective form of social control allowing states to monitor population trends and assess individual needs more accurately.

During the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited Iu Mien from Laos – predominantly subsistence farmers – as part of its effort to wage guerilla warfare against North Vietnam’s army and disrupt their use of Ho Chi Minh Trail to move troops and weapons into South Vietnam. One such recruit was Cheng Saephan; one month ago he won a $1.3 billion lottery jackpot! His plan is to give half of that winnings away to someone who helped him buy tickets – something which he announced at a news conference last month.

Sources have informed RFA’s Lao Service of state lottery officials’ manipulation in Laos. Winning numbers from national lotteries often go missing before being held, with 509 being unavailable throughout its appearance on Oct 14 this year according to an official of this institution.

This talk will examine the complex relationship between gambling and the state in Laos. It will trace its political, economic, moral and historical development since 1975 as lotteries became legal activities that support socialist goals; also what lottery playing means to people on the ground; Charles (Chip) Zuckerman is an Oregon State University linguistic anthropologist teaching Asian languages and cultures and currently conducting ethnographic research in Luang Prabang about gambling before compiling it into a book on this subject.