Thai Lotto, or Thailand National Lotterie, draws every first and sixteenth day of each month as one of only two legal forms of gambling in Thailand – alongside horse racing in Bangkok. Thai Lotto has become an extremely popular pastime, with many people dreaming of becoming instant millionaires through it.
The Government Lottery Office (GLO) oversees the lottery business. They organize draws and distribute prizes; additionally they monitor its integrity as it’s state owned enterprise subject to public scrutiny. Their monopoly over this field has raised concerns of corruption and conflicts of interest; for this reason the GLO may split off operator and regulator roles to increase transparency.
As GLO manages the lottery, many private companies operate as retailers selling lottery tickets at more than their face value of 80 baht; some charge above this amount and justify this with higher operating costs necessary to serve customers effectively; some even employ staff to assist with operations. The government has attempted to address this issue by restricting ticket sales only through government websites and Krungthai Bank’s Paotang application; however many retailers object as this will impede their business activities.
Many Thais believe that finding lucky numbers will bring good fortune, especially those associated with luck such as 1, 3 and 6. One woman won an astonishing prize worth 6 billion baht after her 1-year-old nephew told her to select 3, 1, and 6. People also believe animals may provide them with winning numbers; one homeowner claims their encounter with geckos led them to pick number 953.
Thais sometimes rely on dreams and messages from the cosmos veiled as life events to select their numbers, such as hearing that his dead wife told him to pick 953. When he did so he won the jackpot!
Lottery tickets are printed on yellow paper with anti-counterfeiting features built into them to deter counterfeiters, such as watermarks depicting mythical birds or an ultraviolet-light-readable barcode. Furthermore, this paper is coated with chemicals so that drops of bleach leave telltale stains as a sure sign of its genuineness.
Lottery tickets can only be bought within Thailand; though tourists have won prizes by purchasing lottery tickets there. In order to claim their prize, winners must present both their passport and signed winning ticket at the vendor where they bought it; winnings of 20,000 baht or greater should be claimed at GLO headquarters in Bangkok instead. A prize under 20,000 baht may be claimed from retailers directly; otherwise any more substantial wins must be presented directly at this headquarters in person.