Amid the verdant mountains and pristine rivers of Southeast Asia, the nation of Laos nurtures a distinctive tradition – the lottery. More than just a game of numbers and symbols, it’s a captivating cultural spectacle that captures the human fascination with luck and fortune. But as with any form of gambling, the joys of participating in a lottery should be tempered with the knowledge that it is not without risks.
The state lottery is overseen by the Ministry of Finance and regulated by the National Gambling Authority. Currently, there are seven games, including Lotto, Instant Win, Loto, Sans Topu, Super Loto, and Keno Loto. There is also a health lottery. The total prize money in 2017 was over 3.3 billion kip.
The Laos lottery system is not without controversy. A number of groups have argued that the lottery is a form of corruption that benefits only a few people at the expense of the country as a whole. In addition, some critics say the lottery is inefficient and has a high rate of fraud.
The government has sought to address the issue of lotteries by limiting lottery drawings and increasing transparency. On Aug. 17, the office of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith issued a directive calling on the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the country’s legal state lottery system, to work with the ministry’s Public Security Department to better manage the problem, sources told RFA’s Lao Service. The directive states that the number of lottery drawing per week will be reduced from two to one and all winnings will be handled in a more transparent manner. The directive also calls on the ministry to close informal football lotteries and lottery chances purchased through short messaging services.
