For many poor Vietnamese people selling lottery tickets is the only source of income. While the social security systems of Vietnam are not yet capable of handling the large number of less fortunate citizens, lottery tickets offer a more dignified alternative to the often-stigmatized act of begging. On good days, a lottery ticket seller can make up to 230 000 VN-Dong (10 US-Dollars) which is just enough to survive.
The lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers to win a prize. Lottery games are played in most countries around the world, and are regulated at the state or national level. The largest lotteries are operated by government agencies, while others are privately run. Some lottery games are even used to raise funds for public services and projects.
Some governments have strict regulations on the types of prizes that can be awarded, while others do not. For example, the state of California in the United States has a minimum jackpot amount of $70 million. Other governments, such as Quebec City, have strict rules on who can play the lottery. In the past, lottery participation in Canada was illegal, but the federal Liberal government introduced a law in 1967 allowing citizens to buy tickets.
Currently, there are four nationwide lotteries in Canada: Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max (which replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009), Daily Grand and Millionaire Life. These are administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a consortium of provincial/territorial lottery commissions owned by their respective governments: Atlantic Lottery Corporation (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador), Loto-Quebec (Quebec), Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (Ontario) and Western Canada Lottery Corporation (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut).
In addition to these national lotteries, some jurisdictions have local or regional lotteries that are privately run. These lotteries are similar to the national ones but generally feature different game formats and have smaller prizes. Typically, these lottery games include instant tickets or scratch cards as well as traditional ball-and-dice games like Keno and video lottery terminals (slot machines in all but name).
In Laos, private business interests operate the country’s national lottery. The companies involved are linked to members of the ruling elite. A caller to RFA’s Lao Service complained that private businesses should not be responsible for the national lottery, because “they can’t be trusted.” Moreover, he said, the government should resume control of the national lottery, because it should be 100 percent managed by the state.