Lottery online has become a popular way to gamble in Laos. A woman who won a jackpot recently revealed that her phone has not stopped ringing with notifications, texts and calls from friends, family and strangers since the news of her victory broke. The 33-year-old said she would share her prize with her children and use some of it to travel. “I’d love to visit South Korea, Japan and Vietnam,” she said. “My kids will be very happy with that.”

Laos Lotto Hanoi Lottery

Finance Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth told lawmakers last week that illegal lotteries are booming, even though the government is cracking down on them. He said that lotteries based in foreign countries like Vietnam are sold unlawfully in Laos as many as four times per day, and that more investment is needed to develop a system to track down those involved.

RFA’s Lao Service has learned that private business interests have a significant stake in the country’s national lottery, and are suspected of rigging drawings to avoid large pay-outs. For example, a number that appeared as the winning number for a drawing on Oct. 14 disappeared from purchased tickets throughout the day, only to appear again 10 minutes before the drawing began, a source with knowledge of the matter told RFA.