Laos Lotterie is an integral cultural and community fixture, and an opportunity for big dreams to come true. Every week when the national lottery results are released, citizens await with hope the chance at becoming winners – some using winnings to augment family income or start businesses; for others it provides hope amid poverty and deprivation.
Although popular, the lottery has not been free from controversy. Players have complained about lottery officials manipulating numbers to avoid giving out large sums of money, while the government has dismissed such claims. Yet questions still exist regarding who runs and oversees it all.
Many companies responsible for the lottery are owned by members of the ruling elite and no one knows exactly what amount they pay the government in return for concessions. Furthermore, allegations of fraud and mismanagement have plagued its operations; issues have arisen regarding weight of balls used during draws as well as disputations regarding results of previous draws.
Laos once used a lottery system that included public auctioning of winning tickets. While this wasn’t ideal for its economy, it did provide some transparency and allowed everyone involved in the lottery – even those without funds to purchase one – to participate. Since transitioning to free market capitalism has altered how this country does business. Now there is an officially-run state-run lottery based on number sequences rather than auctions.
Though many play the lottery for money, others use it to connect with their communities and culture. A Laotian woman who was raised in an orphanage plans on giving some of her winnings back. Others may hope to use lottery winnings as an avenue towards finding their birth families.
Laos lottery draws crowds of tens of thousands every Wednesday evening as millions tune in live to view each drawing on both television and Facebook. If lucky, those with winning numbers could receive windfalls of hundreds of millions of kip, though not everyone is victorious.
Laos’ lottery has long been an important source of revenue and tradition in Laos. Although lottery can be used as an effective social change tool, proper management and regulation is necessary to ensure fairness for all participants and no bribery or corruption occurs. Although managing and regulating it properly will prove challenging at times, its importance should not be underrated: Laos needs reliable lottery operators if it wants to remain viable economically in its global marketplace, or else face serious economic setbacks in future – meaning Laos must find ways to boost tourism sector growth while diversifying exports so it can continue prospering and thrive thriving economically in order for its citizens.