About Thai Lotto

HISTORY OF THAI LOTTERY

The idea of lottery goes back a very long way, towards ancient times. Lottery first started in Thailand in the reign of King Rama V. It was first drawn in an international exposition arranged in the King's birthday celebration. 

Again in 1917, a lottery drawing was arranged to finance Thailand's entry into World War I on the Allied side. Next, lottery was used to finance the Thai Red Cross charity works expenses in 1932. Lottery was first drawn to generate revenue for the government in 1934 to finance the short fall in government income due to the abolition of draftee tax, levied on Thai males who wished to forgo compulsory military service. 

The drawing was implemented by the Revenue Department. In the same year, lottery operation was also introduced to the provinces to finance the provincial municipality operations. In 1939, the control of government lottery operation was transferred to the Ministry of Finance with the appointment of the first lottery board by the Ministry of Finance on April 5, 1939, which is now held as the founding date of the Government Lottery Office. 

At present, the Lottery Office issues 14 million tickets for each draw. In the same draw, it also issues two million tickets for sports promotion and seven million for other charity organizations. To produce the lottery tickets, the Government Lottery Office operates a modern, large-scale printing press, which also handles printing jobs for other government agencies as well. Each year, the Lottery Office turns in over 4,000 million Baht to the government treasury. 

It also provides 440 scholarships of 20,000 Baht each for undergraduates and earmark 8 million Baht a year for various charities. The office also contributes close to 20 million Baht a year for the welfare fund of civil service and military personal, Welfare Council of Thailand, and the War Veteran Association. People of Thailand are very fond of being gamblers themselves. Lottery is taken very seriously in Thailand as it is the only kind of gambling allowed in the nation.

The process of winning a lottery starts from the purchase of a lottery ticket. Everyone who enters tries to use their intuition at the time of buying lottery ticket, but unfortunately most people fail since a single draw of a lottery can only produce few winners. First, we would like to talk about what a Thai lottery ticket looks like. As you can see, there is only one kind of lottery available, used in Thailand for a long time. It is still paper-based material while many other countries have developed an electronic system to organize the lottery tickets. In Thailand, you’ll have to get lottery tickets from agents, who receive these tickets from retailers.

As you are obliged to buy a ticket that already has the number printed, you will have to search to find somebody selling the specific numbers you have in mind. Future projects of the Government Lottery Office include a plan to create a service that would allow lottery purchases and prize payments to be made via commercial banks' country-wide network of automated teller machines. Usually, lottery tickets are drawn twice a month: the 1st day of the month and the 16th. 

Every ticket costs 40 + 40 Baht – they are always purchased in doubles. This is the official price. The top and the bottom part have the same number, and it is not possible to buy just one part. So, every ticket will still cost you 80 Baht plus the agent's fees (between 20 and 40 Baht). 

However, if you win, your prize is doubled. Every ticket has a single 6-digit number. During the live draws, a lot of numbers are drawn every time, as they’ll have to draw all of the numbers according to the number of prizes stated. Now, the prizes and amount of this lottery are as follow: 

1st Prize (1 number) 2 million Baht

2nd prize (5 numbers) 100'000 Baht

3rd prize (10 numbers) 40'000 Baht

4th prize (50 numbers) 20'000 Baht

5th prize (100 numbers) 10'000 Baht 

3-digit numbers (4 numbers) 2'000 Baht

2-digit number (1 number) 1'000 Baht 

Bonus prize (2 numbers) 50'000 Baht. 

The Bonus prize is for people whose first 5 digits are correct but the last digit is incorrect by one number above or below (for example, if the First Prize ticket’s last digit is “5″ you can get the bonus prize if yours has a “4″ or “6″). 

 Fake tickets

let's talk about how to watch out for a fake lottery ticket, which could be sold to anyone.

Unfortunately there are people who will try to sell fake Thai Lottery tickets to the unwary. Most Thai people can easily spot a fake by the lack of a proper watermark but foreigners can be more easily duped. Here are some simple rules to avoid being fooled. A fake ticket has the following characteristics:
 

 - A different color from the original

 - Different paper

 - No watermark By searching for a ticket, simply follow these simple steps: 

- Have a look at a genuine ticket so you know what to look for. -

Never buy a ticket from a stranger who doesn’t appear to be a regular vendor - It is best to only buy tickets from a vendor that Thai people are buying from - If you have any doubts about the validity of the ticket, simply walk away Never pay more than 120 Baht for lottery tickets.

General Information

 

Anyone, either Thai or foreign, may play and win the state lottery in Thailand. Currently, prizes cannot be claimed through banks.

At each draw date, around 4 pm, you can check the lottery results directly at the Government Lottery Office website or with the help of this application which automatically 

updates them ( http://hopes.glo.or.th/main.php?filename=index )

Draw dates are the 1st and 16th of each month. If that date falls on a holiday, the draw is delayed to the day after.

More info about the drawing procedures can be found here. ( http://hopes.glo.or.th/ewt_news.php?nid=67&filename=index___EN )

If you win a prize, you’ll have to go to one of the following three GLO offices in Bangkok:

The Government Lottery Office Rajdamnern Avenue, 

Tel. 0-2281-1611 Ext. 108, 123
Branch Office I Gold Market Building, 3rd Fl, Lard Yao, Jatujak Tel. 0-2158-0078
 
Branch Office II CAT Tower, 21st Fl, Charoen Krung Road
Office Hours: Mon. – Fri. (closed on public holidays) Office Hours: 07.30 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. (Open during lunch)

Don't forget to bring your passport. You will receive a check. You must claim your prize within two years from the draw date and pay a tax of 0.5%.
For more information, you can contact the Chief of Department of Prize Payment): 

Tel.0-2282-5017, or

Chief of Branch Office I:  Tel. 0-2629-3619, or

Chief of Branch Office II: Tel. 0-2629-3618)

However, if the payout of every single ticket amounts to less than 20,000 Baht, you can go to a local agent and he will give you the money in cash. You will have to pay a fee in order to get the money; the agent will charge you from 2 to 5 Baht for every 100 Baht. More about the prize claiming can be found here. ( http://hopes.glo.or.th/ewt_news.php?nid=109&filename=index___EN )

While the winning of Thai Lottery Number picking...