The operation of the lottery in Thailand is simple enough: people buy tickets and pin their hopes on a sequence of numbers. If they match the winning numbers, they win. But behind the sexy veneer of a modern state-run enterprise lies an intricate web of religious, economic and social beliefs and customs. Fate, faith and imagination all converge around the lottery, making it more than just an exercise in chance. That’s why, on the 1st and 16th of every month, hordes of Thais tune into their television sets with tickets clutched tightly in their hands.
A giddy smile plays on Bom’s lips as he displays his results: his carefully researched selection of lottery numbers. With a conspiratorial wink, he begins to consult a chart and pencils down a first set of integers. Then, he crosses out each one in a specific pattern until he has just two digits left: 0 and 1. The process he goes through to choose his numbers is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to lotto-playing methodologies in Thailand.
Most of the lottery’s participants are low-income individuals, with a third falling into the lower middle class. According to a study published in the International Gambling Studies journal, the lottery is not only a source of revenue for the state but also a way for people to dream of a better future. Pinning dreams of a brighter tomorrow on such a doomed endeavor may seem counterproductive to some, but to the poor who can’t afford other ways to improve their lives, it might be the only option.
For these poorer lottery players, the stakes are even higher. An underground lottery system operates alongside the government lottery, selling tickets for as little as a few baht. Unlike the government lottery, where you must purchase a ticket pair in order to claim a prize, the underground lottery allows you to play individual numbers and increase your chances of winning.
In the event that you don’t win a grand prize, you can still redeem your tickets for smaller prizes, which are based on the number of matched numbers. In addition, there is a bonus prize of 22 million baht for matching all six digits of your ticket.
There are two types of Thai Lottery: TGL and TCL. TGL is the Government Lottery, while TCL is the Charity Lottery. TGL is the more popular of the two because it has a bigger jackpot and offers more prizes to winners. The other difference between the two is that TCL is more accessible to poorer people because it costs less than TGL. However, TCL does not offer the same prizes as TGL, such as the bonus prize and the top prize of 30 million baht. The bonus prize was eliminated by the military government after August 1, 2015. Despite this, TCL is still the largest in the country with a market share of 40%. In addition, TCL is a lot more transparent than its government counterpart in terms of rules and regulations.
