The thai lotto is an official lottery run by the government. The numbers are printed on the tickets, and players must match six digits to win. Prizes vary, with the highest prize being a first-prize bonus of B50,000 for matching all six digits. The second-prize bonus is B40,000 (for 10 prizes), and the third prize is B10,000 (100 prizes). There are also dozens of small prizes, from a t-shirt to a coffee mug, for matching three to five digits.
The lottery is one of the only two legal forms of gambling allowed in Thailand, along with horse racing. The lottery is organized and managed by the Government Lottery Office (GLO). GLO prints and sells the tickets to national wholesalers, who then distribute them to vendors throughout the country. Each ticket has a unique six-digit number and features a watermark of Wayupak, a mythical Thai bird. The tickets are also printed on paper treated with chemicals so that a drop of bleach will cause the number to stain.
While the official lottery is well-regulated, there is a huge underground market that is practically impossible to crack down on. By some estimates, Thais spend $10 billion a year on illegal gambling, much of it in the huay tai din, or underground lottery houses. The superstition around lottery numbers is widespread, and many Thais choose their numbers based on omens. For example, it is believed that tragedies precede good fortune, so people often pick the numbers from license plates of crashed vehicles or highways where accidents have occurred.
In addition, many Thais look for signs of luck in their everyday lives. They may interpret the number of rings on a bracelet, the number of spots on a dog’s fur, or the color of a butterfly’s wings as omens that they will win the lottery. Others seek a more rational approach and try to find patterns in the numbers that have been won.
To claim a prize, a player must present the winning ticket and a valid ID or passport. Winnings less than 20,000 baht can be cashed out at authorized retail venues, while larger sums must be claimed in person from the head office of the GLO in Nonthaburi. In some cases, the prize money is paid in cash, while in other cases a check is issued to the winner’s name. The process can take up to two years from the date of the drawing. Winners who cannot claim their prize within the allotted time period are deemed to have forfeited it.
