Lottery is a popular form of gambling and is held twice a month in Thailand, drawing on the first and 16th. Although it may not be the most lucrative form of betting, it attracts millions of punters with its promises of instant wealth and fosters a sense of hope in a nation that is often marred by poverty and inequality.

Tickets are pre-printed and include a number of anti-counterfeiting features. They are sold in ticket-pairs and cost 80 baht each. The lottery is regulated by the state and is one of only two forms of legalized gambling in the country. Prizes are awarded based on a combination of six-digit numbers and the winning number is announced following the draw. The second prize is B20,000 for matching four digits, while the third prize is B10,000 for matching three digits.

The draw is conducted by a “Draw Chairman” and guests inspect equipment and search for anomalies, which are removed from the machines following each round of draws. Then, the first-prize number is drawn and the remaining balls (numbers) are used to initialize each machine for the lesser prizes. A two-digit number is then drawn for a bonus prize of 30 million baht*.

There used to be a bonus prize of 22 million baht* for matching all six digits, but the military government has abolished this bonus prize as of 1 August 2015. Regardless of the odds of winning, many Thais believe their choice of numbers is guided by messages from spirits, the cosmos, and even the numbers on the back of their shirts.