The lottery (Thai: ; RTGS: salak kin baeng) is one of only two forms of legalized gambling in Thailand, along with horse racing. It is played by over 19 million Thais—about 28.6% of the country’s population. Buying a ticket in the lotto is more than just placing a bet on a sequence of numbers; the experience fosters hope and optimism, and it connects people in a shared dream. Even if a prize is not won, the anticipation of wealth reverberates through communities and stimulates consumer spending.

The draw itself is conducted through a random number generator, which ensures fairness. The winning numbers are a combination of the first three, four, or five of the six-digit numbers on a ticket. The winner receives the prize money indicated on the top of the ticket. The ticket must be presented at the lottery office in order to claim the prize.

Thai lottery tickets are pre-printed, include a number of anti-counterfeiting features, and must be purchased in “ticket pairs.” The schedule of prizes, ancillary information, and conditions are printed on the verso of each ticket. One of the guests is named “Draw Chairman”, and he or she inspects the equipment, selects balls to initialize each drawing machine, and searches for anomalies.

After a short wait, the Draw Chairman announces that one of the balls in each machine is selected as the first prize number. The other balls are drawn to determine the order of lesser prizes: yellow for second prize, pink for third prize, green for fourth prize, and blue for fifth prize. A two-digit number is then drawn for the bonus prize.