The thai lotto is a nationwide lottery run by the Government Lottery Office (GLO). Its purpose is to raise funds for public projects and distribute them in proportion to the amount of money invested. The lottery is popular among both Thais and foreign visitors. However, it is important to understand the rules and regulations before you buy a ticket. For example, it is illegal to sell lottery tickets outside of official shops. If you buy a ticket from a private vendor, you can be fined or even arrested.
There are two lottery drawings per month – one on the first and another on the 16th. Drawings are held at GLO headquarters and broadcast live on TV. To win the grand prize, you must match all six numbers on your ticket. You can also win a smaller prize by matching four or three numbers. The second and third prizes are 100,000 baht and 40,000 baht, respectively. The fourth and fifth prizes are 20,000 baht and 10,000 baht, respectively.
In order to play the thai lotto, you must purchase a ticket from an approved vendor. In Thailand, only local people who are registered with the GLO can sell lottery tickets. Vendors are usually poor or deaf people. It is one of the few careers that does not require any special skills and can help them survive day by day.
To encourage adherence to the law, GLO has made it clear that a ticket must contain a six-digit number and be printed on paper with two watermarks of Wayupak, a mythical bird. The paper is also treated with chemicals to prevent counterfeiting. It is possible to identify a fake by touching it – the treated paper will stain when touched with a drop of bleach, while the untreated paper won’t.
Lottery ticket holders must present their winning ticket and a valid ID document or passport (for foreigners) to claim their prize. They must also sign their name on the back of their ticket. Winnings of 200,000 baht or less are paid in cash, while larger prizes must be collected in person at GLO headquarters in Bangkok. Winners must also shoulder a 0.5% stamp duty on government lottery winnings and 1% stamp duty on charitable lottery winnings.
It is widely believed in Thailand that bad luck comes before good fortune. This is why many Thais look for omens and signs of good luck around them. They may check the license plate numbers of recently crashed vehicles, or scout highways for numbers linked to accidents. If they do not find any such omens, they will often visit a temple or shrine to pray for good luck.
Some people in Thailand will even check their lottery results every day. Whether or not this helps their chances of winning, they certainly enjoy the thrill of looking at the numbers. Others, however, think that it is more practical to wait for a few weeks and see if their numbers will turn up.
