In Laos, lottery playing is one of the most popular ways to pass time. Many people dream of winning the lottery, and numbers often show up in their dreams as well as in the national lotto drawing thrice a week. But there are questions about how honest the lottery is. The numbers that represent felines—which are considered lucky in the country’s culture—have been shown up as the winners for four consecutive weeks, and some suspect officials are rigging the game.

A spokesman for the state-run organization that runs the lotto said changes have been made in response to the allegations. He also said that a committee was double checking the weight of the lottery balls to make sure they are all equal.

But that doesn’t appear to be enough to satisfy players. A source who wished to remain anonymous told RFA’s Lao Service that the Thai company that runs the lottery—Insee Trading Company—knows which numbers people choose, and therefore can manipulate the results. For example, on Oct. 14 this year the number 509 was not available throughout the day, and only appeared as the winner an hour before the drawing.

Another concern is that the business interests in charge of running the lottery include members of the country’s ruling elite and their families. The company pays the government for a concession to run the lottery, but no public records are kept on how much is paid and for what purposes.

To play the lottery, Laos residents can go to their local grocery or convenience store and purchase a ticket. Retailers usually have a machine that they run your ticket through to check it for winners. If you win, the retailer will give you a smaller ticket with your registered numbers. Those tickets are then submitted to the official lotto office for validation. The prizes must be claimed within six months or a year from the date of the draw. The winnings are then used to support local hospitals, schools and other public projects. If you are a lucky winner, you can receive the prize money in cash or in vouchers that can be used at any grocery or convenience stores. The vouchers are also valid for six months or a year from the date on the winning ticket.