THAILOTTO is the official Thai lottery run by the Government Lottery Office (GLO). Lotterie draws are held every first and 16th of every month with prizes ranging from first prize winnings of six million baht down to matching two numbers correctly, or as little as 1,000 baht for correctly matching only two of your tickets (Taiwan ID card for citizens or passport for foreigners) required in order to claim them.
Though many believe in luck and fortune, lottery is ultimately gambling with no guarantees that anyone will win. To increase your odds, here are a few steps that can help maximize your odds: buy from a reputable vendor; verify and check the number before submitting; avoid purchasing tickets with identical digits to those already submitted; purchase different ones than previously purchased; avoid tickets that match previous drawings’ winning numbers as much as possible (ie avoid getting tickets with identical digits); try purchasing one ticket that differs significantly from others purchased in each drawing (ie try purchasing one that’s different than previous drawings’).
The Thai lottery is an immensely lucrative business. Its profits surpass those generated from tourism and provides government revenues. But the lottery has also become an ingrained part of Thai society – drawing people of all ages and walks of life together under its banner – often driven by aspirations to make big bucks through gambling.
There are two different lottery tickets: Thai Government Lottery (TGL) and the Thai Charity Lottery (TCL), both with titles printed at the upper left corner of each ticket. TGL tickets offer a first prize of 6 million baht taxed at 0.5% while TCL tickets feature three million baht and are taxed with 1.0%; previously there had been an additional jackpot prize awarded if six digits were correctly predicted; however this feature has since been removed due to military control in August 2015.
Lottery vendors can be seen roaming Thailand’s streets selling lottery tickets out of brightly-colored booths with loud music playing to lure customers. While they can be found throughout most towns and cities, temples often attract a higher concentration. As these vendors can pass on printing and advertising costs directly to the customer, lottery vendors often sell discounted tickets than those found at retail shops.
Though most forms of gambling are prohibited in Thailand, lottery has been legal for over 100 years. This may be partly attributed to its role as more than just a game: superstition, faith and even magic all play an integral role. When results are announced on television screens across Thailand, scores of hopefuls turn toward their television sets with tickets tightly held in their hands awaiting results announcement.