Despite the fact that many people try their luck at the national lottery three times a week, drawing results often show numbers that have vanished from purchased tickets or that are considered unlucky by most, sources in the communist nation tell RFA. They say private business interests run the lottery, with some connected to members of the country’s ruling elite.
A woman waits for customers at a lottery stand in Vientiane. She was one of few people selling tickets that day. Several other lottery sellers were either absent or in the process of being taken away by police. Photo by Ounkeo Souksavanh/RFA.