A woman who grew up in Laotian orphanages during the country’s turbulent 1960s and ’70s plans to give some of her $55 million lottery jackpot to the people who raised her, as well as to find her birth family in Laos. Xia Rattanakone, 44, won the top prize in the Oct. 30 draw of the Laos National Lottery. Her winnings will allow her to retire from her jobs, including her work as a temporary worker in Seattle Public Schools and at Nintendo of America, and travel around the world.
Lotteries are more than just games of chance; they’re also cultural phenomena that reflect the human fascination with luck and fortune. The French Lottery, for example, became one of the most important resources for religious congregations in the 18th century and helped build or rebuild about 15 churches in Paris. However, as with all gambling activities, participants should play responsibly, recognizing that the scales of luck could easily tip either way.
The Laos National Lottery is overseen by the Ministry of Finance, which recently sent a directive to reduce the number of drawings from two to one per week and improve transparency. The directive also prohibits informal football lotteries and lottery chances sold through short messaging services. The office of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said the directive was intended to protect the state lottery system from illegal lottery operations, according to local media reports.
Developed by Digital Insider Company Limited, the Laos Lottery app is available for free on Android devices. To download it, search for Laos Lottery in the Google Play listing and tap on the Install button. You will then be prompted to accept the permissions that are required by the app. Once the installation is complete, a notification will be displayed to let you know that it’s ready to use.
