Lottery is a popular form of gambling that draws players in large numbers. The game’s premise is simple: participants buy tickets, pin their hopes on a sequence of numbers, and if those numbers match the winning ones, they win. It is a revenue generator for organizers, an entertainment source for spectators, and a potential economic stimulator, if winners choose to invest their windfall back into the community.
The lottery is a national institution, and it is one of Thailand’s two legal forms of gambling. It takes place twice per month, on the first and sixteenth of each month, and is a source of income for many Thais. The image of a street vendor carting around a brown wooden box full of lottery tickets strapped to their bicycle is a ubiquitous aspect of Thai culture. However, these traders are struggling to survive.
Tickets are sold in “ticket-pairs”, with each ticket costing 80 baht. The ticket pairs are pre-printed, include a number of anti-counterfeiting features, and display the schedule of prizes and supplementary information. In addition, the ticket pair must be presented when claiming prizes.
The draw is conducted by a designated guest called the “Draw Chairman” who inspects equipment and selects balls (numbers) to initialize each machine. The winning prize is awarded for matching six digits in the correct order. There used to be bonus prizes for matching more than six digits and two additional digits, but these were eliminated by the military government in 2015.
