A woman who won the Laos lotto has announced plans to give some of her winnings back to her birth family and return there in search of birth relatives. Xia Rattanakone was born in an orphanage before being adopted by an American family; she plans on using her winnings from Lottery winnings to assist others and retire with travel plans with her school aide husband from Seattle.
Laos state-run lottery games remain immensely popular but critics increasingly argue they are corrupt. A recent scandal involving an arrest of Laos’ national lottery company chairman for suspected money laundering only adds fuel to this fire; officials have promised reforms as a response.
Lotterie tickets can be found for sale in kiosks located within public buildings and private businesses, mobile phones and the internet. People purchasing lottery tickets from anywhere around the world with valid legal residency status in that particular country as well as an official ID card or passport may win cash prizes; Turkey, Bulgaria and Chile have produced some notable lottery winners over recent years.
United States residents enjoy access to various lotteries, both state-run games run by various state agencies and private lotteries operated by private companies. Ticket sales are regulated and monitored under both federal and state laws while most states maintain lottery commissions to oversee its integrity and financial viability.
People purchasing tickets in Laos can select any combination of numbers between one and nine when purchasing their ticket, with greater odds for purchasing multiple tickets; one number out of ten chances being drawn from each drawing for single numbers purchased in each drawing.
Early this year, suspicions regarding the integrity of Laos’ lottery were triggered when Felis catus appeared as one of three winning numbers for three thrice-weekly draws: August 10, September 22 and October 3. Felis catus has long been seen as a symbol of good luck and often chosen by lottery players when selecting winning numbers.
Finance Ministry official serving on the lottery steering committee informed RFA that changes are being made to reduce the chances of shenanigans. He stated that decreasing frequency could help restore faith in the lottery system.
However, the official warned that such changes cannot solve all problems. He mentioned how the lottery company still had business interests with members of the ruling elite who may find ways around new regulations; an RFA source who requested anonymity reported how some lottery company could block certain numbers or change them after draws were held live on television – an action which runs counter to rule requiring live television coverage of lottery results. Unfortunately, no official knew how many people had complained about these changes.