In a region where mountainous terrain, French colonial architecture and hill tribe settlements characterize the landscape, the nation of Laos nurtures a unique tradition. This is the lottery, a cultural fixture that captures human fascination with luck and fortune. On October 30, 2566, the latest lottery results were announced, revealing a fascinating interplay of number combinations and animal symbols.
Lottery officials in the communist nation of Laos manipulate the draw process to avoid large pay-outs, sources say. Many of the companies responsible for the lottery have family members with ties to the country’s ruling elite, they add. “They are using money from government appropriations to buy the rights to operate the lottery,” one source told RFA’s Lao Service. “The public does not know how much they are paying to the lottery for their concession.”
The Laos state lottery draws three times each week, and the winning numbers are randomly chosen. But the system is not transparent and is prone to manipulation, Laos insiders say. For example, a winning number may appear as only five on tickets sold for the drawing, but it may suddenly change to another number at the last minute. This was the case in a recent drawing, where the number 509 appeared only on the purchased tickets for a few hours before the draw, and then disappeared from sale altogether.
Despite the controversy, the lottery continues to attract players from Canada, Asia and Europe. It also supports Laos’ tourism industry, a key economic driver. But the scandal has prompted some Canadian politicians to call for a review of its operations and legality.
Laos’s newest star, Mattie Do, has garnered international attention with her second feature film Nong Hak (Dearest Sister). The film is a haunting tale of ghosts, greed and class differences in contemporary society, and shows great promise for Lao female cinema.
Lottery
The Laos national lottery is a game of chance operated by the Laotian government and run in cooperation with private businesses and individuals. The games are played through a network of licensed lottery agents and the prize money is donated to various charities and social development projects in the country. Currently the total prize money stands at over $600 million. The prizes vary depending on the type of lottery and the amount of money that has been won. The jackpots are usually awarded when the numbers are drawn at the end of the lottery draw cycle. The jackpots have been known to rise as high as tens of millions of dollars. The first major lottery win was made by a couple from Seattle, Washington. The winners, Xia Rattanakone and Sommay Rattanakone, donated half of their $55 million winnings to the people who raised them in an orphanage in Laos.
