Cheng Saephan of Laos won the fourth-largest jackpot in American lottery history after taking home $1.3 billion after playing the Powerball lottery in Oregon on April 7. At his press conference to announce his success he wore traditional Iu Mien clothing from Laos and said that before praying he might win so he wouldn’t die before doing something for his family.
Charles Zuckerman will discuss the cultural and moral history of lotteries in Laos, with special attention paid to their national lottery system. He will demonstrate how the government rationalized gambling as an economic activity that aligned with socialist goals while exploring its mechanics.
Early 19th-century France witnessed a revolution when their monarchy took control of lotteries to avoid having to fund religious congregations, marking the start of an era when lotteries became one of Europe’s major resources – so much so that during late 18th and early 19th-century Paris alone alone, lotteries helped rebuild or build nearly 15 churches alone!
Although some European countries operate a single national lottery, others such as the UK offer multiple. Their state lotto alongside national games such as Lotto and several smaller games such as Set for Life and Thunderball comprise their lottery lineup; there is even a health lotterie.
Some critics in the country have raised issues about how the lottery is managed, alleging that private business interests wield too much control. A source speaking anonymously to RFA confirmed this criticism by saying the companies responsible are owned by individuals with close ties to ruling elite.
The number 354, symbolic of cats in Lao culture, has appeared as winning numbers in four consecutive national lotteries in Thailand – prompting comparisons with proverb “a cat has at least four lives”. This raises serious doubts over its integrity when allegations surface against its officials allegedly manipulating results.
Vientiane resident who keeps an eye on the lottery said he noticed differences in weight of lottery balls that led some of them to fall into their holes more easily than others. Vilasack Phommaluck, head of the lottery steering committee, denied this allegation to RFA by saying such behavior fell outside his purview and that all balls used for drawings are double checked prior to use for drawings by lottery company double checking them prior to being used for drawings; also announced by him was that two weekly drawings will now become one weekly drawing and eliminate informal football lotteries as well as lottery chances purchased via short messaging services which lure people into regular gambling habits and make process more transparent overall.