The Thai Lottery, known as “slaakkinaebng,” is the most popular form of gambling in Thailand. Taking place twice per month, on the 1st and 16th of each month, the lottery is played by over 19 million people – a whopping 28.6% of the native population. The lottery, whose grand aspirations fuel a large segment of the country’s population, is more than just a game; it is a social experience that unites players around a shared dream and entices them with the promise of a life-changing fortune.
The lottery is a complex affair, and understanding how and why so many people play it requires digging deep into Thai culture. A good place to begin is with the numbers themselves. A quick glance at Bom’s personal number selection strategy reveals the underlying complexity of lottery-playing methodologies in Thailand. With a conspiratorial wink, he pulls out his phone and shows a picture of a chart with a wheel and a set of digits. He quickly begins scribbling on a piece of paper, using the wheel as a guide to cross out integers in a specific pattern. He then pencils down a second set of numbers derived from the first and crosses those out again in a precise sequence.
Bom’s process is elaborate and evidently well-practiced, but it is not enough to explain how he and so many other Thai people are able to pick winning lottery numbers. A deeper look at lottery-playing in the Land of Smiles uncovers a web of religious, economic and social connections that crisscrosses over the country’s culture.
A broader view of the lottery reveals a back-alley operation that runs parallel to the government-sanctioned one. The underground lottery operates using the same tickets as the government one, but with different rules and rewards. It is estimated to be four to five times larger than the government lottery.
The operation of the lottery is complicated, but a few basic rules apply. The lottery is only legal in Thailand if sold by vendors registered with the government’s Government Lottery Office (GLO). It is also illegal to purchase tickets outside of Thailand. Although some foreign tourists have won, these winners are unable to claim their prize money, as the GLO only awards prizes to ticket-pair holders who can prove that they are residents of Thailand. This restriction is designed to prevent the circulation of counterfeit tickets, a problem that has plagued the Thai lottery for decades. Moreover, the operation is highly profitable for the GLO. In addition to the revenue from ticket sales, the government receives an additional 28% from a percentage of the total value of the winning ticket. This translates to approximately $3 million annually from ticket sales alone. Despite these substantial profits, the GLO has struggled to maintain its reputation as an honest and fair lottery operator. In recent years, the GLO has faced protests over its profit margins and political corruption.
