The lottery, a popular form of gambling in Thailand, has an enticing premise: participants buy tickets and pin their hopes on a sequence of numbers. If their selection matches the winning sequence, they win. In addition to being a source of fun and entertainment for the participants, the lottery is also an economic stimulator. Winning ticket holders might invest their windfall back into the community or spend it on new goods and services. The lottery also fosters optimism and hope in the Thai people by offering the tantalizing prospect of a life-altering fortune.
The Thailand lotto, or slaak kin baeng, takes place twice a month, on the first and sixteenth of each month. It is one of only two forms of legal gambling in the country and is played by more than 19 million people, or 28.6% of the country’s population. Whether they purchase tickets in person from a street vendor, or via the internet, lotto fans are drawn to the thrill of a flutter and to the opportunity of becoming wealthy.
Lottery tickets are pre-printed, include a variety of anti-counterfeiting features, and can only be purchased in ticket pairs. Each ticket pair costs 80 baht, and contains a ticket number, a schedule of prizes, and ancillary information. The Draw Chairman randomly selects a colored ball to initialize each machine, then draws six-digit numbers for the second, third, fourth, and fifth prize drawings. Following the last three draws, officials remove balls from machines to confirm that all 10 numbers have been present. A final two-digit number is drawn for the bonus prize of 30 million baht*.
