A street vendor carting around a brown wooden box of lottery tickets strapped to his or her bicycle is one of the most iconic images associated with Thailand. The lottery, known as slaak kinaebng or salak kin baeng in Thai, is the official national lottery and one of only two forms of legal gambling in the Land of Smiles. It draws twice a month, on the 1st and 16th, and is played by over 19 million Thais; 28.6% of the country’s population.
The lottery is a source of revenue for organizers, entertainment for the public and potential economic stimulus. It fuels the human spirit with the tantalizing possibility of life-altering wealth. And while the odds of winning are slim, a few lucky punters are able to win big.
Winners must present their ticket/s and valid ID card or passport (for foreigners) to claim their prize/s. Stamp duty is charged at 0.5% for government lottery prizes and 1% for charitable lottery prizes.
The draw process is simple and transparent. Guests are seated in rows and given a ticket pair to purchase; the ticket number is printed on both sides of the ticket. The Draw Chairman randomly selects a colored ball to determine the order of lesser prize draws. Then, officials remove balls from the machines to show that all 10 numbers were present. Match all six digits to win the first prize. Match the last two digits to win the bonus prize of 22 million baht*. Note: Previously, there was also a second prize for matching the first five digits. This bonus prize was eliminated by the military government after 1 August 2015.
