Laos lotto offers attractive prizes designed to encourage participation by offering significant pay-outs for matching a sequence of numbers, drawing in many hopeful individuals hoping for fortune through legal gambling. Winnings often result in substantial change for those involved – from buying their own homes and cars, as well as sending their children off to college.
However, lottery officials have been accused of manipulating their system in order to avoid paying out large sums. Winning numbers at national lotteries held three times each week do not always match up with purchased tickets and sometimes some numbers even appear to disappear before being drawn. Some observers have also voiced concern that weight manipulation of lottery balls could give certain numbers an unfair edge over others.
Many questions have been raised recently regarding the legitimacy of lottery gaming, prompting government promises of changes. A ministry official who serves on the committee that oversees it told RFA that some adjustments have already been implemented in response to earlier accusations of rigging the draw; he would not comment further and only said this question could be answered by their committee.
Cheng Saephan, a Lao immigrant living in Portland and one of the winners in last month’s record $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot was among them. After taxes, Saephan will take home $422 million as his lump sum payment and has been fighting cancer for eight years; before purchasing tickets with him for $100 each they joked they were “billionaires” long before drawing day took place!
Recent successes of Laos lotto include a Canadian woman’s win of CAD 60 million (USD 50 million). Deng Pravatoudom, 59, immigrated from Laos and came to Canada with her family in 1980 before suffering the death of her husband due to an accident; thereafter supporting them through school until her big win came along.
Laos generally prohibits gambling; however, certain government-leased Special Economic Zones permit gambling for purposes of increasing foreign trade. Online gambling remains illegal. However, many reputable offshore online casinos do accept players from Laos without risk of arrest; however, players should be aware that such casinos will not provide financial aid if found breaking the law. Before making a deposit, players should ensure that they are playing at a legitimate and licensed casino site. Furthermore, they should inspect their play slips carefully to make sure that they have correctly chosen numbers or drawings they intend to participate in.