Laos is home to many people who play the lottery to try their luck at finding success, though some question whether the game is fair. Recently, 09 has mysteriously disappeared from tickets purchased just prior to drawings – a number often associated with cats which is believed to bring good fortune – prompting suspicions that lottery officials are manipulating the numbers in some way.
Laos Lotto is administered by Insee Trading Company, the state-owned flagship enterprise and largest employer in Laos. As well as operating Laos Lotto, Insee also runs sports betting systems and operates convenience stores – in addition to money management services to banks and financial institutions regulated by Bank of Laos and Financial Supervisory Commission of government.
In 2016, this company reported revenue of approximately 20 billion kip, and achieved a profit margin of just 1.7 percent, below industry norms of 2 percent. Revenue from lottery sales outshone profits earned through sales of rice and other crops combined; but, under pressure to increase profits, they raised ticket prices to cover higher production costs while also offering new subscription tickets – this change should increase revenues significantly.
Even with its problems, lottery remains popular with players. The prize structure encourages participation by offering significant payouts when matching numbers; past winning lottery tickets could bring in up to three million kip, which would then be distributed among local governments and charities as winnings.
France was famously famous in the 18th century as a center for lotteries, providing much-needed funds to religious congregations and contributing to building or rebuilding 15 churches in Paris alone. Lotteries became so popular that both monarchy and Church vied to gain control over them.
After some initial opposition from the Church, French lotteries became increasingly regulated during the 19th century. Today, France boasts a national lottery overseen by a steering committee; however, questions have been raised as to its ability to protect players from shenanigans.
The committee has responded to some of these concerns by decreasing the frequency and eliminating scratch lottery, and increasing inspections in an attempt to detect cheating. But other issues remain unanswered.
One source of concern is that private business interests involved with the lottery aren’t being held to account. According to an anonymous member of RFA’s Lao Service steering committee who asked not to be named, businesses with connections to ruling elite have been able to purchase lottery numbers at reduced prices while paying bribes to government officials, including their families of top leaders; with no way for the steering committee to verify these claims.