Lottery officials in the communist Southeast Asian nation of Laos are rigging the system, manipulating winning numbers to avoid paying out large sums to winners, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. In the national lottery, which takes place three times a week, drawing results often show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or are deemed unlucky and unlikely to be picked by buyers, RFA’s sources say. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, the number 509 appeared only as five on tickets bought throughout the day of the drawing, but it suddenly reappeared in the winning numbers just 10 minutes before the draw was scheduled to take place.
The winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is a Lao immigrant who lives in Portland, Oregon, according to state lottery officials. The winner is taking a lump sum payment, $422 million after taxes, rather than an annuity that would have paid out the prize in 30 annual installments. The prize was the fourth largest ever won in a US lottery game and the eighth largest overall jackpot won.
In Canada in 1967, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau, attempting to recoup costs for the World’s Fair and subway system, introduced what he called a “voluntary tax.” For a $2.00 “donation” a player would be eligible to participate in a monthly lottery draw with silver bars as prizes. While there was debate over the legality of this “tax” (the federal minister of justice argued that it violated Canadian law) players from around the world continued to play.
The Internet has made it possible for people to play lottery-style games for much less money than they would spend on a traditional ticket. The number of Web sites that offer lottery games has risen sharply in recent years, with some charging premiums on base lottery prices. Others are relying on the fact that online gambling laws are generally prohibitive and therefore lottery games may escape the scrutiny of regulators.
The international lottery industry is dominated by private companies that operate Internet-based lotteries and are supported by advertising revenue. The leading company is GTech Corporation, based in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, which administers 70% of the worldwide business, according to its website. The company has been at the forefront of Internet gaming, launching the first Internet lottery and processing the first online gaming transaction. It also developed the first instant scratch card games. It now offers multiple online lotteries, including the popular MegaMillions and Powerball. It also has a variety of mobile phone games. It also sells its technology to other companies that run their own lotteries. The company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It has a market cap of $720 million and reported earnings of $15 million in 2007. Its shares have increased by about 50% since late 2008. In October, the company announced that it had restructured its operations.