The thai lottery is one of the two forms of legal gambling in Thailand and is played by over 19 million people. The bi-monthly draws are a major source of national pride and a much-needed cash infusion for the country’s poor. The lottery is also one of the most popular forms of online gambling. While the official Thai lotto results are not as easy to predict as those of other national lotteries (you don’t pick your own numbers) there are some patterns that can be identified.
There are a number of different ways that Thais try to get a hint about which numbers might be lucky. Many visit temples or shrines to pray for a good combination, while others seek out monks with reputations for divining the winning numbers. Some people will even visit their family’s graves to look for a dead relative’s name in the urn that contains the ashes.
Trying to find signs of fate in the everyday environment is another popular approach. This includes looking for figures in three barks, snakes (a giant snake is representative of the number five and a small one represents the number six) and rats (linked to the number one).
While many people will visit their family’s graves in the hope of finding a lucky number, others will go further afield for advice. Visiting a monk or shrine to ask for lottery numbers is common, but some Thais will even pay their respects to a recently deceased monk in the hopes of receiving hints from him. Other people will turn to fortune tellers for lottery tips.
There is a lot of money involved in the thai lottery and it is not uncommon for large sums to be awarded to winners. However, there is no guarantee that you will win the top prize. The odds of winning are about one in a million, which is comparable to those for other national lotteries.
The thai lottery is operated under the Government Lottery Office Act B.E 2517 which entered into force in B.E. 2562. The majority of the profits go towards prizes, while the remaining 20% is divided among street vendors (12%), ticket wholesalers (2%), social activity funds (3%) and foundation, association, and organization discounts (3%).
You can buy a lottery ticket in Thailand from any licensed outlet, including supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations. If you win, the lottery agency will give you a claim form that you must sign and submit along with the winning tickets and your identification card or passport for foreign bettors. You should also write your full name and address on the back of the winning ticket. You must submit your claim form within two years of the draw date to avoid being disqualified. Alternatively, you can contact the lottery operator directly to claim your winnings. The winnings will be paid out in cash or transferred to your bank account. In addition, you must pay 0.5% stamp duty on your winnings from government lotteries and 1% on those from charitable lotteries.
