Lottery online is an Internet-based game where players buy lottery tickets and participate in a drawing for a prize. These games are popular and are available in many countries worldwide. Some are free and others charge a fee to purchase a ticket. The prizes can range from money to goods and services. In the United States, a large portion of lottery revenues goes toward public education systems. Lotteries are also legal in Canada and Australia.
Lotteries in New Zealand are regulated by the Government through an autonomous Crown entity called Lotto New Zealand (formerly the New Zealand Lotteries Commission). Lottery profits are distributed by the Lottery Grants Board directly to community and charity organizations. Sport and Recreation New Zealand, Creative New Zealand and the University of Auckland are some of the recipients.
In the United States, state-run lotteries are a source of revenue for local governments and some federal programs. The largest state-run lottery is the Powerball, which is played in 44 states and the District of Columbia. A winning ticket must match all five of the numbers drawn in order to win a prize.
Other types of lotteries are operated by private businesses. These include instant lottery games, keno and video lottery terminals (VLTs). In some jurisdictions these types of games are known as pull tabs. The history of lotteries in the US dates back to the colonial era. In the earliest years, these were private affairs. They were not regulated until the early 19th century, when the government passed a law to regulate them.
In Canada, state-run lotteries are governed by provincial and territorial laws. Until 1967, buying a lottery ticket in Canada was illegal. That year the federal Liberal government introduced an omnibus bill to update old laws. The bill included an amendment to allow provincial governments to operate lottery games.
The Oregon Lottery has a Laotian immigrant as its latest winner. Cheng Saephan, a forty-six-year-old from Portland, plans to split the $222 million prize with his wife and a friend. He said he plans to give the rest to cancer patients and other charitable causes. He and his wife are members of the Iu Mien ethnic group, which was once subsistence farmers who helped American forces during the Vietnam War. The group was displaced after the conflict and settled mainly along the West Coast of the U.S.
The couple will have to wait a while to claim the prize. The Oregon Lottery does not release the names of winners until they have claimed their prize. In most cases, the winners must sign a privacy waiver before they can be identified publicly. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this story for VOA Learning English.