Besides lotto online, Milyon88 also offers other popular games such as baccarat, which involves betting on which hand (player or banker) will come closest to nine. All of these games ensure fairness by using random number generator algorithms sanctioned by betting organizations.

Saephan said he would take half the prize and give the other to a friend, Laiza Chao, who bought the tickets with him. The pair are members of the Iu Mien ethnic group, which migrated to Thailand and then to the United States in a refugee rescue program after the Vietnam war. The Portland area has a large Iu Mien community with a Buddhist temple, churches, social organizations and businesses.

Meanwhile, sources in Laos say lottery officials are rigging the system to avoid paying out large prizes. Drawings often show numbers that disappear from purchased tickets, and winning numbers that are deemed unlucky are mysteriously changed before the drawing is held, one source told RFA’s Lao Service in an interview. Those in charge of the national lottery should be held accountable for their actions, the source added. The government should resume control of the lottery, he added. The private business interests involved in the national lottery are a disservice to the country, he said.