Laos is home to a lottery known as Sato that is widely played by those hoping to make money. Winners are announced through an international draw held each month and has been running for more than 40 years, leading to many debates; one Minister argued it was illegal while another claimed it did not breach Quebec law.
Recent news reports revealed that the government is contemplating modifications to how the lottery operates, such as cutting back from three weekly drawings to two, as well as increasing participation and prize sizes.
No matter its method, Laos remains fond of lottery gaming for several reasons, chief among them its immense winnings potential with only a single ticket and tax free winnings.
While gambling is technically illegal throughout Laos, certain Special Economic Zones permit it. Players from Laos may also find many online casinos accepting Lao players; for a real casino experience however, land-based ones are best located throughout the country.
Lotto officials in Laos are manipulating winning numbers to reduce large pay-outs, according to sources in Southeast Asian nation of Laos and RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings in their national lottery take place three times weekly and often feature numbers that have vanished when people go to purchase tickets – such as when one winner chose 509 but when players went back later to purchase tickets the 09 was no longer listed as available options.
Laos should regain control of its lottery, according to sources, in order to prevent business interests from interfering with results and distorting outcomes. Private companies that manage the lottery employ persons connected to ruling elite, yet the public does not know how much is paid annually in taxes for selling tickets – no inspection of lottery either!
In addition to offering cash prizes for matching consecutive numbers, the lottery also provides other significant payouts when various combinations occur. Those who match all four digits could win 6 million kip; those betting just once could turn it into a bet of 500,000; matching three numbers would transform a wager into a 1.5 million-kip prize; animal-named numbers were once offered as an added feature; this practice has since been discontinued due to people losing faith in its system as some balls might fall faster into holes than others.