Amid the rugged mountains and verdant plains of Southeast Asia, the nation of Laos nurtures a tradition of the lottery. It’s more than a game of chance; it’s a social leveller and a glimmer of hope. Thousands of people check their tickets with hearts pounding, hoping to win the next prize.
Xia Rattanakone, 44, was one such hopeful when she won the Laos lotto in October last year. She grew up in an orphanage and plans to use her windfall to help the family she left behind. She also hopes to return to her homeland to search for her birth family.
The Laos state lottery is overseen by the Ministry of Finance, which has received criticism for its lack of transparency. In August, prime minister Thongloun Sisoulith sent a directive to the ministry requesting that it reduce lottery drawings to only one per week and that winnings be handled in a more transparent manner, sources told RFA’s Lao Service. The directive also asked the ministry to shut down informal football lottery games and lottery chances sold via short messaging services.
With a wide variety of numbers, combinations, and symbols, the lottery is not just a game of chance; it’s an intricate display of Laotian culture. It incorporates traditional beliefs into a fun and exciting mix of number sequencing and animal symbolism. The number “1” is a symbol of the Buddha and is considered to be especially lucky. The numbers 11 (dog), 21 (weaverbird), and 33 (spider) are believed to carry good luck as well.
In addition to state lotteries, there are also private lotteries in Turkey and the Philippines. In the United States, there are state lotteries in every state and the federal Powerball lottery. In Australia, there is the Lotto 6/49 and Thunderball, as well as the Health Lottery. The Dominican Republic has the Loteria Internacional Dominicana. In Chile, there is the Polla Chilena de Beneficencia S.A. and Peru has Intralot. All of these lotteries offer a wide variety of different games.
