There are two main lottery games in Thailand: the Government Lottery Office (GLO) and the Thai Charity Lottery (TCL). Both are state-sanctioned, offering a range of prizes with top payouts of up to 22 million baht. Winners have a maximum of two years to claim their prizes, and foreigners are allowed to play.
Both types of tickets are available at GLO offices in Bangkok and some rural towns. The tickets are pre-printed and include a series of anti-counterfeiting features. They are sold in ticket-pairs with each individual ticket priced at 80 baht. A portion of the proceeds from sales is earmarked for the lottery’s prize fund, and the remainder goes to street vendors (12%), wholesalers (2%), social activities (5%), foundations, associations, and organizations discount (3%) and ticket distribution cost (10%).
The Thai lottery is a popular pastime for locals and visitors alike. While the top prizes are not as high as in other countries, there is still a fascination with chasing lucky number tickets. As such, many people try a variety of strategies to increase their odds of winning. Some, for example, will visit a temple or shrine to pray for luck. Others will consult a fortune teller or a monk to divine which digits will yield the best results.
While the odds of winning the Thai lottery are not as favorable as in other nations, there are a number of tactics that can be employed to improve one’s chances. While most of these are simply superstitions, some have actually proven to be effective. For instance, some winners have claimed that interpreting their dreams or seeing animals in the buildup to a draw has given them a good sign that they will win. Similarly, some players will pray to banana trees or interpret the number of spots on a cat’s fur to discover their lucky numbers.
Winning tickets must be presented to a GLO official, along with proof of identity (a valid ID card for Thai citizens or a passport for foreigners). The winning player should also fill out a form and write down the details on the back of the ticket. The prize money will then be paid out in cash or by cheque. Players are required to pay a 0.5% stamp duty on government lotteries and 1% on charitable lottery wins. Prizes of 20,000 or less can be collected at authorized retail venues, while larger sums must be claimed at the head GLO office in Nonthaburi. This process takes approximately two weeks. For more information, please visit the official lottery website.
