The thai lotto is one of the most popular gambling games in Thailand. It is organized and managed by the Government Lottery Office (GLO). The lottery draws are held twice a month on the first and 16th of each month. The jackpot is six million baht. The ticket price is less than that of European and American lotteries.
Each lottery ticket has a six-digit number and is printed on a yellow paper with a two-tone watermark of Wayupak, a mythical Thai bird. There is also a silk thread with one type that can be seen with the naked eye and another that only shows up under ultraviolet light. In addition to this, the tickets are printed with chemicals that cause them to stain if dropped in bleach. This is done to prevent counterfeiting.
Locals are allowed to sell the tickets and are required to be licensed by GLO. In some areas, vendors work in partnership and share profits. This is especially common in rural communities where a single vendor cannot cover all the territory. The tickets are sold through retail stores, kiosks and small shops that are run by local families. The locals know how much people are likely to spend on their ticket so they can gauge the amount of profit they will make.
There is a large underground market for thai lotto. Many of these illegal operators offer higher prizes and better odds than the official government lotto. In fact, they can be up to five times larger than the official government lotto. These operators have a huge network of agents and dealers who work together to bring in gamblers from all over the country. These operators use the official numbers from the thai lotto to draw their own winning numbers.
Many Thais believe that they can win the thai lotto by buying the right numbers. They can even go to temples or shrines to pray for the right numbers. A famous example is the Mae Nak shrine on Sukhumvit Soi 77. It is dedicated to a ghost who is believed to have supernatural guidance for its visitors. The shrine is usually packed with a crowd asking for divine intervention in various ways, from help with a decision to a boost in fertility. There is a small clay jar in the shrine that contains numbered ping pong balls, which are claimed to be lucky numbers by those who visit it.
Lottery winners must present their winning tickets, identification documents and bank account information in person to claim their prize. Those who receive the first prize or jackpot are also required to pay 0.5% stamp duty on their winnings. This is collected by the vendor who then pays it to the GLO on their behalf. Winners can claim their prizes on the same day if they are Thai or have a valid passport and ID card. If they are not, the winner must wait 15 days to claim their prize.
