A man carrying a brown wooden box of lottery tickets strapped to his bicycle is an iconic image of Thai street trade. But behind this quaint facade lies a harsh reality: most vendors barely break even. Lottery is a popular pastime in Thailand, with 19 million people playing every month. This makes it one of the largest lottery markets in the world. While gambling is officially illegal in the country and frowned upon by Buddhism, many Thais find a way to indulge their aching need for luck.
A common superstition amongst the locals is that certain numbers are more likely to win a prize than others. This is why it is recommended to play a few different numbers each time you buy a ticket. This will increase your chances of winning a prize and also allow you to test your luck.
The government runs the official thai lottery, and it is regulated by strict laws. There are also numerous underground operators who run parallel lotteries with prizes up to five times larger than the official lottery. However, the government has cracked down on these illegal operations in recent years and introduced a maximum price for tickets.
Prize money accounts for 60% of the total lottery revenue, and 20% is funnelled to the national treasury. The remaining 40% is split between street vendors (12%), ticket wholesalers (2%), social activity fund (3%), and foundation, association, and organization discount (3%). Those who sell lottery tickets must be registered with the Government Lottery Office. In addition, a vendor must be at least 20 years old to operate. Vendors are often accompanied by a sub-vendor, who is furnished with a copy of the main vendor’s identification card and can sell tickets on his behalf.
Lottery tickets are sold in the streets, shopping malls, and supermarkets across the nation. There are more than 14,700 licensed retail venues nationwide. The tickets are marked with a black and gold Thai government seal in the upper left-hand corner and have a six-digit number printed on it.
In the past, lottery sellers used to sell tickets in the open air, but this practice has been banned since 2014 due to security concerns. Today, most of the tickets are sold at specialized kiosks that sell them discreetly to customers.
The thai lottery draws are held twice a month at the GLO’s headquarters in Bangkok. The winners are announced on television the following day. The first prize is a 1 million baht cash award. The second and third prize are 100,000 baht and 50,000 baht, respectively.
In addition to the official thai lotto, some locals like to place bets on European soccer matches. At least $2 billion dollars changes hands in bets on these events each year, according to a bookie in Bangkok. The majority of these bets are placed by foreigners, but some locals do place bets on English Premier League games as well. This is not surprising, given that the game is more popular in Europe than in Thailand.
