The Thai lottery is one of the country’s most popular forms of gambling, a fact not lost on the military government which took power in 2014 and made reforming it a top priority. Some 19.2 million people play the bi-monthly lottery, spending 76 billion baht on tickets per year – more than double that of the country’s second most popular form of gambling: horse racing.
It’s not uncommon for people to spend hours searching for the right numbers before a purchase. While some rely on their favorite birth dates or digits, others cite their dreams and messages from the universe disguised as seemingly ordinary events in choosing their lucky numbers. And even if they’re not convinced the odds are long enough, they still calculate them anyway – the way this writer’s grandfather did when playing the UK lottery.
Until now, digital lottery tickets have only been available from GLO offices and some retail outlets, but the new Paotang app offers players a more convenient option to get their fix. The mobile platform launched on Thursday morning and by noon had sold more than 500,000 tickets at the official 80-baht price, snapped up by buyers dreaming of winning big first prizes.
Each ticket, whether TGL or TCL, is pre-printed and includes a variety of anti-counterfeiting features. They can only be purchased in “ticket-pairs” of 80 baht each, with the corresponding supplementary information printed on the verso of each ticket. They also have to be used within two years of their issue date in order to claim the prize. Prizes over 20,000 baht must be claimed in person at a GLO head office in Nonthaburi.
The lottery is the only legal form of gambling in Thailand, where other games such as football and horse racing are banned. And while the payout ratio is lower than in European and US lotteries, it’s still a hugely popular pastime in the Land of Smiles.
But for those who win, the stakes are high. And while most players are aware of the rules of claiming their prize money, some may not be prepared for what happens when the odds are against them. Here are some tips for players to help them avoid the pitfalls of losing their hard-earned money.