Online Lottery

The government has given Malaysia-based Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) and its subsidiary, Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd (BToto), a license to operate computerized state lottery in Vietnam. Sources say BCorp paid $2.5 billion for the exclusive lottery project, which was formerly run by the Vietnamese state. The new company is called Vietlott and was put under the management of the Ministry of Finance.

Laos Lotto Hanoi Lottery

Laos officials and business interests are rigging the national lottery system, and manipulating winning numbers to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the communist country tell RFA’s Lao Service. Drawings of the legal state lottery are often interrupted when the number supposedly to be won disappears from purchased tickets, and winning numbers are changed shortly before a drawing is scheduled. The number 509, for example, appeared only as 5 on purchased tickets throughout the day of the Oct. 14 drawing, and was only later changed to 09, a Lao buyer told RFA.

The office of the Lao prime minister sent a directive on Aug. 17 asking the ministry overseeing the legal state lottery to work with the ministry of public security to manage the problem. Deputy finance minister and state lottery supervisor Sila Viengkeo told RFA that the provisions of the directive will be implemented. He denied accusations that the state lottery system lacks transparency.