The Thai Lotto

The Thai lotto, also known as the Government Lottery (Thai: slaak kin baeng), is a bi-monthly lottery draw that offers large cash prizes to winners. Tickets are available for purchase from the Government Lottery Office and many street vendors across the country. The GLO also has a website where players can check their results and check the history of past winners. The top prize is usually worth millions of baht, but even smaller payouts can add up over time.

The lottery is one of only two legal forms of gambling in Thailand, along with horse racing. The GLO prints and sells tickets to wholesalers who distribute them to the country’s 14,760 registered retail vendors. A ticket costs 40 baht for a single entry. To claim a prize, players must present their ticket(s) and Thai ID card or passport (for foreigners).

Each lottery draws one two-digit number, four three-digit numbers, five four-digit numbers, and six digit numbers. The two-digit number is the jackpot, while the other numbers are secondary prizes. The winning numbers are announced at the end of each drawing and appear on the official website at 5pm on lottery days.

A lottery player can claim a prize within two years of the drawing. Prizes lower than 20,000 baht can be cashed out at authorized venues, while larger amounts must be claimed from the head GLO office in Nonthaburi. To claim a prize, the winner must provide their name and nationality, present their ticket(s) and photo identification, and take a queue number. The GLO also has a website that features additional details on prize claims and mandated procedures.

Although gambling is frowned upon by the Buddhist community, it’s common in Thailand. Lottery tickets are sold everywhere, bus tickets have a lottery number, and even military service is determined by a lucky draw. In fact, the ex-PM Thaksin wanted to expand the lottery’s legal gambling activities, including adding two- and three-digit lotteries, but he was ousted in a 2006 coup.