Lottery games are popular in Asia, just like elsewhere. But there are some reasons why the interest in these games might be particularly heightened here. One reason is that in many Asian cultures, participating in lottery games is viewed as a way to make it possible for auspicious circumstances to manifest themselves in a player’s life. Another reason is that lottery games are often a part of local culture and a means to show loyalty to a community as a whole.

A few weeks ago, a man named Li won the lottery in the city of Nanning in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. He won about 171 million yuan (US$24 million) by choosing seven numbers out of forty, according to the local media outlet Nanning Evening News. Li told the paper he was so excited after discovering his victory that he didn’t sleep.

For a while now, the Chinese government has sought to boost lottery sales by marketing the game as a form of social welfare. About half of ticket revenues are earmarked for prize money, while a third is devoted to favoured causes such as public sports facilities and the Red Cross. The rest goes to administration. Players who win more than 10,000 yuan must give a fifth of their winnings to the state in taxes.

While the laws regulating lottery gambling can vary from country to country, the minimum age for playing in most Asian countries is eighteen. However, there are also online lotteries that are more flexible about age requirements.