The lottery is a popular form of gambling in Thailand. It is one of only two forms of legalized gambling permitted in the Land of Smiles, along with horse racing in Bangkok. It is drawn twice a month, on the first and 16th of each month, and it is a favorite pastime for millions of Thais. The prize money for the winning ticket is usually millions of baht.
Lottery tickets are pre-printed, include a number of anti-counterfeiting features, and can only be purchased in “ticket-pairs.” Individual tickets cost 80 baht and the ticket pair costs 160 baht. The front of each ticket contains a six-digit number, a drawing schedule and other ancillary information. The back of each ticket contains a barcode, a numbered slip of paper, and the official draw rules.
The official draw takes place in a large auditorium with a number of cameras for broadcasting. Guests are invited to watch the draw and one guest is designated as the “Draw Chairman.” The Draw Chairman randomly selects a colored ball to initialize each of the drawing machines: yellow for 2nd prize, pink for 3rd prize, green for 4th prize, and blue for 5th prize. Each machine then draws a random sequence of numbers until all prizes have been awarded.
The first prize is awarded to a ticket that matches all six digits in correct order. The second prize is awarded to a ticket that matches five of the six digits in correct order. The third prize is awarded to a ticket that matches four of the six digits in correct order. Previously, there was also a bonus prize for matching all the three last digits, but this prize was eliminated by the military government after 1 August 2015. The top prize of 6 million baht is not awarded every time.
