Lotteries are gambling games whose results depend on the number of tickets sold. They are popular because they offer the opportunity to win cash or other prizes. Most lotteries are run by state governments, although some are private sector businesses. In the United States, large portions of many state lotteries are used to fund public education systems. In Australia, lotteries are operated by the Tatts Group under government licence at a state or territory level. Private companies such as Netlotto Pty Ltd and Jumbo Interactive also sell Australian lottery products online.
In Europe, the largest lotteries are EuroMillions and Spain’s Loteria y Apuestas del Estado. Each country has its own lottery laws, and the European Union’s Lottery Directive governs cross-border operations. In the United Kingdom, lottery sales are regulated by the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery is managed by Camelot UK Lotteries Limited. In Canada, four nationwide lotteries are run by interprovincial lottery corporations owned by provincial/territorial governments: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut).
Despite controversy, online lotteries continue to flourish. In addition to the traditional brick-and-mortar stores that offer them, many websites now offer online lottery services, charging premiums on base lottery prices. These sites are attracting players from across the globe, including those in countries where gambling is illegal.
The first lottery on the Internet was launched in 1995 by the International Lottery Foundation in Liechtenstein, a nonprofit organization that pioneered Internet gaming and supports charitable projects domestically and internationally. The ILF’s Internet lotteries include the world’s first online lottery PLUS Lotto and the first instant scratch-off games on the Web. Its other sites, referred to as the ILLF brands, offer a wide variety of lottery and casino games.
A Laotian immigrant in Oregon will share hundreds of millions of dollars with a friend after winning the Powerball jackpot. At a news conference, Cheng Saephan said he and his wife will take half the prize money and give the rest to a friend, who chipped in $100 to buy lottery tickets with them. He wore a sash at the press conference that identified him as an Iu Mien, a southeast Asian ethnic group with roots in southern China. The group fled Laos, Thailand, and eventually settled in the United States after the Vietnam War. VOA’s Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this report for Learning English.