The lottery is an exciting way to try your luck and improve your life. However, the odds of winning are very low and many people lose. Choosing the right numbers is key to winning. This is why so many people consult online gurus who claim to have a secret formula for picking lottery numbers. Others use numerology to help them choose their lucky numbers. In the case of Thailand, the national lottery, known as slaak kin baeng (Thai:
There are two types of lottery tickets in Thailand: the Government Lottery ticket (TGL) and the Thai Charity Lottery ticket (TCL). The tickets are pre-printed, include a variety of anti-counterfeiting features, and must be purchased as a “ticket pair” in order to be eligible for prizes. Both tickets offer the same prize payouts for the first prize, but TCL tickets are taxed at a lower rate (0.5%) than TGL tickets.
In addition to the giddy thrill of the dream, there are also economic and social benefits to playing the lottery. For example, street vendors who carry a brown wooden box full of lottery tickets strapped to their bicycles can earn up to 100 baht for each draw. This is a significant income for many poor families, particularly in rural areas. Moreover, the lottery experience unites citizens in the shared dream of sudden wealth and fuels the human spirit with the tantalizing promise of a life-altering fortune.
The slaak kin baeng is an important source of revenue for the nation, and it’s not uncommon to see lottery participants seeking any conceivable way to improve their chances at the nearly unwinnable grand prize. Often, they’ll see lucky numbers in their dreams or seek out online gurus like the ones at Thai Lottery King or My4Website, which have websites dedicated to cryptic lottery number formulas and tips that are supposed to guarantee success.
In some cases, these attempts at improving their luck have tragic consequences. In March of 2015, a man in Chiang Mai killed himself after his ticket pair did not win the grand prize. While pinning hopes of a better future on such a doomed process might seem absurd to outsiders, it’s not so unreasonable for those who see few other options for making lasting improvements in their lives.