Lottery Online – The Internet has made it possible for people to play lottery-style games with the chance of winning cash prizes. In addition to the standard lottery draws, there are instant lottery games such as scratch-off tickets, video lottery terminals (similar to slot machines), keno and more. Some governments regulate these games while others ban them. In the United States, many state lotteries fund public education systems. In addition, some countries have national lotteries.
New Zealand has a national lottery called Lotto, which is operated by an autonomous Crown entity, Lotto New Zealand Limited. Lotto profits are distributed by the Lottery Grants Board to charity and community organizations. The board also distributes a portion of the proceeds to sports and arts organizations.
In Laos, private business interests control the country’s legal state lottery, but the companies that run the drawings are not publicly disclosed. A source close to the lottery’s management told RFA’s Lao Service that private business interests have connections to top government officials.
This year the state lottery office sent a directive to the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the legal lottery, asking it to work with the ministry of justice to better manage the problem. The directive said drawing times should be reduced to one per week and winnings handled in a more transparent way. In addition, informal football lotteries and the sale of state lottery chances through short messaging services must be closed down.
A spokesman for the state lottery office told RFA that allegations of irregularities in drawing results and a lack of transparency are unfounded. He said the private businesses involved in the state lottery are responsible for paying a fee to the government each year and should be accountable to the public.
A local official meanwhile warned that private businesses should not be allowed to manage the lottery, because they would not be able to guarantee the legitimacy of the draws and results. The official, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak for the government, also criticized the state lottery’s decision to allow private businesses to sell lottery tickets through mobile phone short messaging services. He added that the state lottery should return to its original state of being controlled by the government. Reported and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for the Lao Service of RFA. Editing by Richard Finney.