The Laos Lotto is a state-run lottery which draws numbers weekly, announcing its results every Wednesday evening. Tickets sold are limited to two per person each week, and prizes are restricted as well; people frequently buy them hoping to win large sums of money! Although considered illegal in some countries, the lottery remains popular and its growth has exploded rapidly in recent years; live drawings on Facebook and television draw thousands of viewers each week!
Laos’ state lottery system is allegedly rigged, with numbers appearing only moments before drawing day and then disappearing again, according to sources in Laos who spoke with RFA’s Lao Service. According to these sources, officials linked with Laos’ ruling elite use state lottery officials who manipulate winnings while concealing this scam from public view, keeping people unaware of its existence.
Recently, the state-owned Sibsonglasy lottery has produced several large winners. One man who purchased six-digit ticket on Insee app won 1.2 billion Kip in prize money while another woman collected 6 billion kip. Both winners expressed amazement at their good luck and stated they will use their prize money to expand their businesses or pay for children’s education costs.
National lottery is an enjoyable pastime, yet it can become very addictive and lead to problems associated with gambling addiction. Linguist Charles (Chip) Zuckerman conducted extensive fieldwork throughout Laos while working on his doctoral dissertation about gambling at Luang Prabang. Furthermore, he wrote extensively about its social and cultural dimensions.
Lotteries are legal in Laos; however, players must be 18 or over in order to participate. There are three land-based casinos as well as many offshore online gambling sites which accept Laotian players; however, their operation can be complicated due to Laos’ gambling laws.
Some lottery players believe they have a lucky streak and believe they will eventually strike it big, while others remain skeptical and consider their chances too remote. Unfortunately, some become addicted to playing and lose both money and self-respect in the process.
No matter its impact, lotteries have an economic boost. Nearly every province in Canada operates its own lottery that’s run by the provincial government; some, however, such as Quebec City’s “voluntary tax,” which was declared illegal by Quebec Court of Appeal but later overturned after challenging this ruling at Supreme Court level.
There are also private lotteries within the country, as well as multi-state lottery. Of the latter category is Mega Millions in the US with its record jackpot. With annual prize pool exceeding US$590 Million this is considered to be one of the four-largest lotteries worldwide.