Lotteries are an extremely popular form of gambling where numbers are randomly drawn to determine a winner, and Thailand is no different: over 19 million Thais regularly participate and spend an estimated annual 76 billion baht on tickets! Regulated by Thailand’s government and awarded prizes according to how many matching numbers match up (e.g. if all six numbers align, several million are usually won!). The lottery in Thailand can be particularly enjoyable and its popularity can be witnessed with over 19 million players making regular bets worth billions each time!
Thai lotto tickets typically cost 80 baht each and consist of two parts; the top part contains lottery numbers while the bottom serves to claim your prize. In order to win the lotto, players must match up the winning numbers from each draw with those on their ticket; each number carries its own significance – for instance “9” is often seen as being lucky and thought to bring good fortune and wealth; on the other hand numbers “3” and “5” can often bring bad luck instead.
Thai Lotto draws are held twice monthly on the 1st and 16th, operated by the government and available to play from convenience stores, street vendors and official lottery retailers. There are two kinds of tickets for purchase – Thai Government Lottery (TGL) tickets have an “TGL” label in the upper left corner while TCL tickets feature “Secret State” or similar on their bottom right corners.
No shortage of individuals are willing to sell you a Thai Lotto ticket, but it’s best if you stick with one vendor as much as possible. Doing business with anyone outside your usual route may be risky since there’s no assurance the ticket is genuine; street vendors also often charge more than advertised ticket price as they must turn a profit on each sale.
Some lottery salespeople can be trusted, while others may not. When shopping at a reputable retailer, their storefront should display the ticket prices clearly as well as provide you with their physical address where you can visit and claim your winnings – typically, this requires taxes to be paid if your winnings surpass 10,000 baht.
If you need an extra bit of luck, visit Mae Nak’s Shrine. She’s said to provide guidance when choosing lottery numbers – often times Thais seek her guidance for everything from exam success and fertility aid, all the way down to fertility aid. Even if you don’t believe in these spirits, the shrine’s jar of numbered ping pong balls makes an interesting sight.
