Thai lotto is a twice-monthly government lottery that pays out some of the world’s highest jackpot prizes. Despite the government crackdown on foreigners buying tickets, it remains a popular form of gambling in Thailand. Players can purchase tickets at authorised dealers and street vendors. The draw takes place on the first and sixteenth of every month. Winnings are paid out by cheque. The total prize pool is about 30 million baht per draw.
The lottery is a hugely popular pastime in Thailand and a common source of entertainment for the nation’s poor. In fact, more than 70% of the country’s population gambles regularly despite the national ban on gambling. This aching need to win has given rise to illegal operators and dealers who run parallel lotteries that are up to five times larger than the official Thai lottery.
The country’s official lottery is run by the State Lottery Office (GLO) and is held on the first and 16th of each month. The GLO prints the tickets, which are sold to national wholesalers – also known as brokers – who then sell them to the country’s 14,760 retail vendors. The final step is for the player to buy a ticket, check its results and claim any prize money. The winner has two years to claim their prize. Sums of less than 20,000 baht can be cashed out immediately, while larger amounts must be claimed from the head office in Nonthaburi.
While most of the world’s lotteries have a logical and scientific approach to choosing winning numbers, many Thais rely on superstitions and the hope of divine intervention. For example, it’s not uncommon to see people at a temple or shrine praying for lucky numbers or to visit a monk in the hopes of picking up a hint as to which digits will do the trick. In addition, the death of a respected Buddhist monk is often followed by crowds flocking to his temple in the hope that they’ll find a clue as to which numbers will yield big profits.
In a bid to crack down on these practices, the military government in power a few years ago introduced maximum prices for tickets, essentially forcing retailers and brokers to add a percentage of the ticket’s price to generate income. This has made it much more affordable to play thai lotto for most of the nation’s population, although the number superstitions continue.
It’s worth noting that while the Thai lottery has taken major steps to ensure a fair game, it hasn’t yet succeeded in moving its operation online. This means that players can only buy tickets physically at authorised retail venues or street vendors, while online third-party lottery websites are currently unavailable to Thais. However, there are signs that the Thai government is working to bring its lottery into the digital age in order to make it more accessible to people across the country. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any updates in this regard.
