The official national lottery of Thailand is administered by The Government Lottery Office (GLO). It is one of only two forms of legalised gambling permitted in the country. Lottery draws are held on the first and 16th of every month. The prize winnings are extremely substantial, with the highest payout amounting to a whopping 30 million baht.
The GLO also prints and distributes lottery tickets to the nation’s retail vendors, who then sell them to the public at fixed prices. This system was in place until 2014, when a military government took power and reforms to the lottery industry became an urgent priority. This resulted in a change in the way that GLO-printed tickets are sold. From 2015 onwards, tickets can only be purchased at the fixed price, so brokers and retail venues cannot increase their profits by adding a percentage to the ticket.
Lottery tickets are available from any licensed GLO retailer and can be purchased in both Thai and English. They are printed on a yellow, thin paper with a watermark of Wayupak, a mythical bird of the Kingdom of Thailand. The paper is also treated with special chemicals so that a drop of bleach will cause it to stain and reveal its contents. The tickets are also encoded with a six-digit number that is unique to each draw.
When it comes to playing the thai lotto, you should know that your odds of winning are directly related to how many tickets are printed and sold. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 1,000,000, but this will vary each time a drawing takes place. You should also be aware that the top prize is only paid out if all of your numbers match in correct order.
While the top payout isn’t as big as some other lotteries, you can still win a decent sum if you play correctly. There are also a number of smaller prizes that can be won if you get certain combinations of numbers. You can see the results of each drawing on the GLO website at around 5pm on lottery days.
If you are the lucky winner of a prize, you must present your ticket, valid identification document and bank account details to GLO to claim it. You can also call the GLO Department of Prize Payments if you have any questions or need further assistance with your prize claim.
It is important to note that all winners must pay a 0.5% stamp duty on their winnings from GLO-printed tickets and 1% stamp duty on winnings from TCL-printed tickets. If you are a foreigner, you must also present your passport and a certificate of residence to GLO.