The lottery is a game of chance that awards prizes based on the drawing of numbers. In the US, the government operates many state lotteries and some private businesses also offer them. The games are popular with people of all ages. They raise money for a variety of causes, such as education and health care. Many states use a portion of the proceeds to fund public schools.
The most popular lotteries are the Powerball and Mega Millions. The winners of the latter can choose to receive their winnings in a lump sum or over 30 years. In the case of the Powerball, a $1.3 billion jackpot was recently announced. The winner, identified as a Laotian immigrant living in Portland, will split the prize with his wife and a friend who chipped in $100 to buy tickets with them.
Officials in the communist nation of Laos have been accused of rigging the lottery system by tampering with the winning numbers. Drawings are often shown without the winning number or it may appear on one ticket but not another. Moreover, the numbers that are most popular with lottery buyers are sometimes excluded from the drawing. In October, the number 509 appeared on tickets purchased throughout the day before the drawing but was changed only 10 minutes before the draw to the unlucky 5.
According to Lao media reports, the lottery was run by a private company called GTech Corporation, which is based in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. The company is the world’s leading online lottery provider and has a market share of over 70%. In addition to online lottery services, the company also runs brick-and-mortar lotteries in several countries.
While the lottery is a legitimate business, critics say that its operations are too opaque. Laos’ national audit office has complained about the privatization of the lottery, saying that it is too profit-driven and lacks transparency. The country’s top legislator, Sen. Ounkeo Souksavanh, agrees. “Private business interests shouldn’t be responsible for the national lottery,” he says.
The winners of the Powerball jackpot will have to pay taxes, which are expected to be about 40% of the prize. The prize is estimated to be about $422 million dollars after federal and state taxes. The winner in Oregon is a member of the Iu Mien, a southeast Asian ethnic group that fought alongside American forces during the Vietnam War. There is a large Iu Mien community in Portland, with a temple, a Baptist church, social organizations and businesses. The community is also known for its culinary skills and its love of pork. Despite this, the group is not well-known in the United States. Laos has a strong pork-based cuisine, including dishes such as larb and khuang soy. The pork is tender and juicy and the sauces that accompany it are savory and tangy. Laos is also famous for its sticky rice. It is usually steamed, but it can be made in other ways as well.