The lottery is one of the two legal forms of gambling in Thailand, along with horse racing in Bangkok. The official national lottery draws are held twice per month, on the first and sixteenth of every month. It is a popular form of entertainment for many Thais, with over 19 million people playing it; 28.6% of the country’s population. Despite the fact that most people lose money over the long run, lottery enthusiasts remain fascinated by the chance of winning a big prize.
Aside from being a revenue generator for organizers and a source of entertainment for the community, the lottery also serves as a potential economic stimulant, with winners injecting their windfall into the local economy. It can also change consumer behavior, as players imagine how they will spend their winnings. Nonetheless, the lottery is not without its critics. Some claim that the numbers are predetermined by supernatural forces, while others argue that the odds of winning are too long. The latter argument is supported by mathematical analysis, including the Law of Large Numbers.
Unlike the US lottery, where you can buy tickets online or at a local store, in Thailand you can only purchase tickets through official government outlets. Tickets are available in “ticket pairs”, with each ticket costing 80 baht. The ticket is pre-printed with anti-counterfeiting features and can only be purchased in a single transaction. Moreover, the ticket is only available to residents within the country. Foreign tourists have been known to win the lottery in Thailand, but it is illegal to sell tickets to them from outside the country.
The draw takes place in the presence of a number of VIPs, who are called the “Draw Chairman”. Guests inspect the equipment and numbers of balls to search for anomalies. Then, the Draw Chairman randomly selects a colored ball to determine the order of lesser prize draws: yellow for 2nd prize, pink for 3rd prize, green for 4th prize, and blue for 5th prize. Finally, a two-digit number is drawn for the bonus prize.
Ranogajec started out by heading a blackjack counting team in Tasmania, but has since moved on to bet on anything and everything. He claims to have a ‘code’ that can tip the odds in his favour, but it’s hard to know how valid his’methodology’ is.
