Lotteries have long been popular in many countries around the world, mainly because they provide participants with the opportunity to win large sums of money. Some are run by government agencies, while others are privately operated by private individuals and businesses. In the United States, for instance, there are a variety of state and national lottery games. Despite their popularity, however, some people question the legality of these lotteries. Many of them argue that lottery profits should be taxed, but federal law does not currently mandate that winnings are taxed.
A recent scandal in Laos has prompted questions about the country’s national lottery, where officials have been accused of rigging results to avoid paying out significant prizes. Sources tell RFA’s Lao Service that lottery numbers sometimes appear on purchased tickets but then disappear from the drawing, and that the numbers selected are often deemed unlucky or unlikely to be chosen. The number 509, for example, appeared only as five on tickets sold throughout the day of the Oct. 14 drawing, and it never made it to the top 10.
The alleged rigging has led to widespread public outrage, as well as accusations of corruption. But some observers say the problem goes deeper. Officials in Laos are influenced by private business interests and do not want to risk losing control of the lottery, they say. A number of lottery vendors have closed since the controversy erupted, and sales have dropped sharply.
Online Lottery Sites
There are a few online lottery sites that offer services to players in Vietnam. These platforms allow users to make deposits in the local currency, and they offer a wide range of payment methods. In addition to credit and debit cards, these websites accept e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. Some also offer direct bank transfers.
In Liechtenstein, a government-authorized charitable foundation operates Internet lotteries. The foundation pioneered Internet gaming and processed the first lottery transaction on the Web in 1995. It also supports charitable projects and organizations domestically and internationally. In addition to lottery games, the foundation offers scratchcards and instant games.
In Canada, there are four nationwide lotteries, including Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), and Daily Grand. These are operated by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, which is a consortium of five regional lotteries owned by their provincial/territorial governments: Atlantic Lottery (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario), Quebecor (Quebec), Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (British Columbia). In addition to these lotteries, there are a number of provincial and territorial casinos and bingo operations. These are legal in most jurisdictions, and some are very profitable. In fact, some of them are even profitable enough to have been granted patents on business methods. These patents are worth millions of dollars. This is a great way to generate revenue for a province or territory.