A lottery might seem like just another game of chance, but for many Laotians, it’s a vivid snapshot of the country’s cultural fabric. It’s a source of hope, an important community tradition, and an unassuming yet deep-rooted part of people’s lives. While gambling is illegal in the Laos, it is regulated in special economic zones leased out by the government to boost foreign trade. This allows for local lotteries to operate alongside other casino games.
The Laos Lottery is a state-run lottery that has been operating since 1994. The lottery draws are held weekly and have been popular with the local population. Currently, the lottery has more than 30 million registered players, and offers three prizes for each drawing: two prizes for the upper running numbers, and one prize for the lower ones. The winnings for the first prize are distributed equally among all winners, which is a nod towards fairness and equality.
Xia Rattanakone, 44, who grew up in a Laotian orphanage in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, says she and her husband plan to use their $55 million jackpot to help the family of origin that raised them. The couple have already donated some of their money to the orphanage where they grew up, and plan to return to search for her birth parents in the Laotian village where she was born.
In addition to its state-run games, the Laos Lottery has a number of private lotteries. In the past, private lotteries have offered prizes ranging from cars to television sets and even apartments. The Laos Lottery also has an international arm that operates in the United States and other countries around the world.
While the Laos Lottery is a popular source of revenue, critics say it lacks transparency and is susceptible to corruption. In addition, business interests with connections to the ruling elite have a stake in the lottery’s operations, a source told RFA.
A number of people have reported that lottery officials in Laos are rigging the system and manipulating winning numbers in order to avoid large pay-outs. For example, a winning number of 509 appeared as only 5 on tickets purchased throughout the day of the Oct. 14 drawing, the source said. The same thing happened in previous drawings.
A public hearing is scheduled to discuss the issue, and the Ministry of Finance has announced that it will strictly enforce a directive enacted on Aug. 17 requiring that the state lottery’s operations be fully transparent. However, it will not immediately take effect because of ongoing discussions between the government and the Lao National Lottery Company. The state lottery has been accused of corruption and lacked transparency for years, and the current directive is aimed at correcting those issues. Reported and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFA’s Lao Service. Editing by Richard Finney.
