Lottery online is a form of Internet gaming that allows players to purchase lottery tickets on the Internet. It is a popular pastime in the United States and many other countries, where it has become a major source of income for state governments and charitable organizations. In addition to selling lottery games, the Internet is also used to offer other types of online gambling, such as sports betting and video poker. Many lottery games are regulated by state or provincial governments, while others are operated by private businesses.
The Internet has greatly expanded the scope of lottery games, with new technologies such as virtual ticketing and advanced mobile applications enabling people to access and play their favorite lotteries from almost any location with an internet connection. In addition, there are a number of websites that specialize in offering instant scratchcards and lottery-style games, with many of these sites charging premiums on the base lottery prices. These companies are often referred to as “lottery resellers” and have become an important part of the lottery industry.
In the United States, lottery games are mostly operated by state governments, with the exception of the federal Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, which are managed by private corporations. The vast majority of US lottery revenue is generated by state-licensed operators, with the remaining funds coming from federal grants and a small amount from other sources such as cigarette taxes. State governments have a variety of lottery programs, including traditional state-based games and instant scratchcards.
Laotian immigrant Cheng Saephan, who has been battling cancer for eight years, will share hundreds of millions of dollars with a friend after winning a Powerball lottery prize in Oregon. Saephan and his wife, Duanpen, will take half of the prize money; he will give the rest to his friend, Laiza Chao. Both are members of the Iu Mien ethnic group, which is mainly found in Laos, Thailand and the United States.
Officials in the communist country of Laos are rigging lottery drawings to avoid large pay-outs, according to sources in the capital, Vientiane. The national drawing, held three times a week, sometimes shows numbers that have already been purchased or that are considered unlucky by the public, the sources told RFA’s Lao Service. For example, the winning number on Oct. 14 was 509, but it was only shown as a 5 on purchased tickets throughout the day of the drawing, one source said.
Hanoi lotto
Two customers shared a jackpot worth VND314.1 billion (US$12.4 million) in Thursday’s Vietlott lottery drawing, the state-run operator announced. The winners were from Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, the company said. The company plans to hold a lottery draw in the near future with a bigger jackpot.