Lottery officials in Laos are gaming the system to avoid large pay-outs, according to sources at RFA. Drawings at this communist nation’s national lottery often show numbers which appear on tickets but do not end up winning or are considered unlucky and unlikely to do well, according to these sources. Private business interests run the lottery but do not meet with government inspection, while responsibility for its annual costs rests solely with government which does not monitor how they operate.
Laos boasts an extensive lottery market with state and local games operated by several companies; regional offerings like Powerball are also widely popular in this Southeast Asian nation. Furthermore, Buddhist and Christian monks frequently host charitable lotteries that provide financial support to congregations.
Participants of the country’s lotteries must be aged at least 18 and can select one or more games available to them, with prizes for the most popular one, keno, ranging from two to ten times the amount bet by players – up to 50,000 Kip in total prize value; odds increase when more numbers are picked than just one!
Players looking to participate in the Laos Lotto Draw can do so by purchasing tickets from banks, convenience stores, or gas stations. Each ticket contains its own set of numbers which are then drawn live during television broadcast. Prizes are given out for matching individual digits as well as combinations involving three or more matching numbers; to maximize prizes, however, all four digits in any winning combination must be matched at once.
Since the 1990s, Laotians have migrated to Canada and other parts of the world in search of better economic opportunities. Many have won lottery jackpots that they used to purchase homes and cars while helping family and friends back home. Deng Pravatoudom of Toronto was the latest lucky winner who collected over CAD 60 Million (USD 50 Million). She received her payment as a lump sum payment.
Deng’s winnings of CAD 60 million may seem modest when compared to other lotto prizes, but they will provide her family with new vehicles and homes as well as sending some to Laos to assist with missionary work through her church. Deng shared her thanks with family and friends as well as lottery organizers for giving her the chance to participate.