Lotteries are very popular in Russia. For some, participation in them is a family tradition, some buy tickets for a sense of excitement or with the expectation of luck, and some build entire theories about the reasons for losses and the systems for calculating winning combinations. Others argue about whether the most popular lotteries are state-owned or privately run, and if you wish, you can organize your own raffle by buying a bag of kegs and printing a batch of tickets.
In this publication about lotteries, we will stay with you on the legal topic and look at them from the perspective of the law.
The lottery and the law
The order of organizing and holding lotteries in Russia is established by Federal Law No. 138-FZ as of November 11, 2003, from its 13th article it follows that only the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Finance can be organizers of lotteries in the country.
But this does not mean that employees of the departments themselves advertise the draws, distribute tickets to kiosks and run the lottery machine. All this (and much more) is performed by contractors acting on behalf of the above authorities. The organizer must meet the requirements specified in Art. 13.1 of the Law № 138-FZ.
Lottery and conspiracy theories
While some people repeat rituals and conspiracies when buying a ticket and holding a draw, others try to consider a catch in the recordings from the studio. Some believe that the announcer is fumbling for the right barrel by the mapped microchip before taking it out of the bag. Others are closely watching the lotto and trying to consider the slightest change in the movement of balls, speculate about the difference in their mass. Someone believes that the tickets are initially printed combinations that should not fall out.
But, in the law No. 138-FZ there are clear requirements for the equipment (starting with the stage of its production), the tickets and the procedure for conducting the lottery, which exclude any manipulation. Naturally, we are talking only about legal lotteries. Regardless of the number of winners, the organizers are guaranteed to make money on each draw.
The lottery and winners
Despite the fact that it is required to ensure the randomness of the distribution of winnings, some figures are known in advance. Namely: no less than 50% and no more than 70% of the money hit into the lottery system must be allocated to the prize fund (Article 10 of Law No 138-FZ).
Naturally, all the money was contributed by participants in the lottery when purchasing tickets, and not allocated by the state or invested by an investor. The total winnings of the participants of one draw will never be more than the total prize fund. So, when a citizen buys a ticket, the organizers are already winning. But he himself - as luck would have it.
Conclusion
Next I will express my personal opinion. The secret of winning the official lottery is that there is no secret, nor is there a catch. The citizen buys, along with the ticket, the chance to receive a portion of the money that less fortunate participants have paid for their tickets. But the principle of the official lottery is based on chance, and nothing depends on the buyer of the ticket. Even in a drawing format in which the participant chooses the numbers himself or takes a ticket with an erasable layer, the result is not immediately known.
What conclusion can be drawn from all this? There is nothing wrong with official lotteries of any kind. But only if a person initially understands and accepts the rules of the game established by law, is aware of the risks and chances of winning. As entertainment, yes, if one wishes to experience excitement. Although I would prefer to watch a good movie and a pack of chips for the price of a lottery ticket. In general, all of the world's best entertainment is free.
