The Thai lottery is one of the few forms of legal gambling in the Land of Smiles, and a favorite among the populace. It has the potential to change people’s lives, not only by bringing them sudden wealth, but also by shifting consumption patterns. The lottery is more than just a form of entertainment; it’s an economic stimulator, and a source of income for organizers and vendors alike. It also encourages a sense of hope and optimism, and the anticipation of winning can even boost consumer spending.
Buying tickets is easy, and many street venders sell them. They typically charge slightly less than 80 baht, but they can make more by putting aside tickets that are thought to be lucky or popular and then increasing the price to reflect this. The vendors are usually at the lowest socio-economic level, and must buy their tickets legitimately from the government for a markup; they cannot keep the tickets for themselves.
Each ticket is pre-printed, includes anti-counterfeiting features, and can only be purchased in ticket pairs. The ticket carries the schedule of prizes, ancillary information, and conditions, as well as a security code. Guests who are not participating in the lottery draw are referred to as “Guests”. A member of the Lottery Committee is named the ‘Draw Chairman’, and randomly selects balls (numbers) to initialize each draw machine.
If the first five numbers match, the prize is 30 million baht. If the first six digits are correct, there is a bonus prize of 30 million baht. Previously, GLO awarded a bonus prize for those whose first five digits were correct, but the last digit was incorrect by a number above or below.
A lottery is a game of chance, and the odds of winning are about 100/1. But there are a few smart people who have found ways to beat the odds, and make a profit in the process. One of them, Zjelko Ranogajec, started out as a blackjack counter and was part of the MIT blackjack team in the 1980s. He is now the founder of a company called LotteryStats, which has developed an algorithm that it says can predict the winning numbers in any given lottery. The algorithm was modeled on the work of other researchers in statistical analysis, behavioural science, and computer modelling. The company has not made public how much it is making from its services. But it is a growing business, and its products are already being used in many countries.
