Thailand Lotto (or Government Lottery Office, GLO) provides the sole legal form of gambling and it’s extremely popular. Over 19 Million People of All Ages Participate Monthly
GLO draws are held twice each month on the 1st and 16th at its headquarters, broadcast live on TV. There are two types of lottery tickets sold and they differ in terms of first prize payout and tax that is charged against winnings – TGL tickets offer maximum first prize payout of six million baht while TCL only provide 3 million. The names of both types can be found on top left corners of tickets sold; TCL tickets offer only three million as a maximum first prize payout.
To win the jackpot, players must choose six-digit numbers from among a pool of one hundred possible combinations, drawn from past winners and most popular numbers. Furthermore, the lottery provides an additional “bonus prize”, which can be won by selecting two of the highest numbers from this pool; often this bonus prize will be much smaller than its jackpot counterpart.
Thai Lotto provides real-time lottery results which can be checked on its official website in real-time. As it’s an extremely lucrative business, lottery vendors often carry large brown boxes full of lotto tickets tied to their bicycles for sale on street corners. Winners have shared their strategies for choosing winning numbers with local news outlets; many claimed they used Mae Nak as guidance – many used her shrine for guidance with issues from finding jobs to passing exams!
Other Thais believe in using dream interpretation and visiting animal graveyards to find their lucky numbers. While such strategies may appear unnecessary to Westerners, Thais take them very seriously as they believe the numbers selected have an immediate correlation with their life fortunes – all luck will eventually prevail regardless.
If you are fortunate enough to win in the Thai Lotto, your prize must be claimed within two years from its drawing date. Smaller prizes may be cashed out immediately at authorized retail venues while larger sums must be retrieved from GLO’s head office in Nonthaburi for claim. In most instances, winnings will be distributed as cheques but there may be exceptions; some of your prize may go toward local charities instead.
