In the craggy mountains and verdant plains of Southeast Asia, the tiny nation of Laos nurtures a unique tradition – a national lottery. Every announcement of the results sends ripples of anticipation rippling across the country, and for those who partake, it’s more than just a chance at fortune – it’s a glimmer of hope in a place where economic opportunities can be scarce.
The first to hit the jackpot was a woman who was raised in an orphanage during the turbulent 1960s and ’70s. Now she and her husband plan to give part of their winnings back to the family that raised them. “It’s a way to say thank you for everything,” said Xia Rattanakone, 44. She added she plans to use the rest of the money to start a small business and to travel.
While the lottery offers the thrill of potential financial gains, it must be tempered with a sense of responsibility. As a form of gambling, it involves an element of risk and can be a source of financial strain. In order to avoid the pitfalls, a player should always be aware of his or her limits.
A woman who grew up in a Laotian orphanage plans to donate some of her lottery winnings to the people who raised her. Xia Rattanakone, who won a $55 million jackpot in the US state of Washington, says she also wants to return home to search for her birth family. The Laos-born wife of a Seattle school district employee is one of three winners to hit the lottery’s biggest prize, with the other two being a family from Nebraska and a man who was working as an IT technician in Japan.
The office of prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith has sent a directive to the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the legal state lottery system in Laos, requesting that it take steps to improve transparency in the operation, sources tell RFA’s Lao Service. The directive, which was sent on Aug. 17, also calls for the number of lottery drawings to be reduced from two a week to just one, and says that informal football lotteries and the sale of lottery chances through mobile phones must end.
