Thailand’s official lottery is a huge deal, and its popularity is growing daily. If you’re looking for a chance to change your life and your fortune, you should buy Thai lottery tickets. The good news is that the task is relatively simple to accomplish. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Thai Lottery: A Quick Overview
Before moving on to the ways to buy Thai lottery tickets, let’s go through a quick overview of the game. Thai Lottery is a game administered by the Government Lottery Office (GLO) in Thailand.
Drawings take place two times per month – on the first and 16th dates.
The Thai lottery is one of the only two legal gambling opportunities in Thailand; the other one is betting on horse racing. Because it is legitimate and governed by laws, you have no reason to worry about the acquisition of Thailand lottery tickets.
This is an incredibly popular game in the country. According to official statistics, 19.2 of the 67 million people in Thailand play the lottery on a regular basis. These people spend 76 billion baht per year on the acquisition of tickets.
One important thing you may want to keep in mind about this game is that Thai lottery ticket prices vary.
The official Thai lottery ticket price is set at 40 baht. Tickets, however, can be acquired solely in pairs. Thus, each time you decide to give Thai lottery a try, you should be prepared to spend 80 baht on the acquisition.
Street vendors have been known to mark tickets up, especially if they feature numbers considered to be lucky. If you choose to buy Thai lottery tickets from such vendors, you should be prepared to spend 120 baht or even more on the acquisition. Thus, it’s essential to understand what the right places for ticket buying are.
Thai Lottery Tickets and How to Buy Them
You should know there are two varieties of Thai lottery tickets.
The first category is called Thai Government Lottery (TGL) tickets and the second one is Thai Charity Lottery (TCL) tickets. The upper left corner of the ticket will show you which category it belongs to. The main differences between the two categories are the taxes owed and the top prize.
A TGL ticket comes with a top prize of two million baht. The tax is set at 0.5 percent. TCL tickets have a first prize of three million baht. The tax percentage is higher and set at one percent.
All of the tickets are pre-printed, which means that you can’t choose your numerical combination when buying. The one thing you can do is look at the numbers featured on the tickets available at the specific retail venue. You can choose a ticket that features a number or a numerical combination that you fancy.
Other than the top prize and the tac, TGL and TCL tickets are identical regarding the lower prize tiers. Apart from the top prizes, there are 14,167 additional opportunities to win that make the lotto worth to give a try.
Where to Buy Thai Lottery Tickets?
Thai Lottery tickets are available at authorized GLO retail venues.
Retail agents have to be authorized to sell tickets. Luckily, many commercial venues have acquired such licenses. You can buy Thai lottery tickets at supermarkets, lottery ticket stands, local markets and in front of stores like Big C and Tesco Lotus.
Lottery vendors could also move from one place to another, offering passers-by a chance to get their ticket.
Such vendors can be recognized by the slim wooden lottery ticket briefcases that they carry. While such agents are everywhere, the Thai lottery ticket prices they offer will vary. The Thai lottery ticket number itself is the one that will determine just how much you’ll have to spend on it.
At the time being, there are almost 35,000 registered GLO vendors in Thailand! Nearly 15,000 of these vendors are located in Bangkok, and approximately 19,000 roam the provinces. If you want some official information about authorized vendors, you can look at the official GLO website. There’s a comprehensive list of the entities allowed by law to sell Thai Lottery tickets.
The GLO e-channel is an alternative you can rely on to check registered vendors by province.
If you don’t feel comfortable buying from street vendors, you should visit a supermarket and get your tickets here. When buying on the street, always check the tickets carefully to make sure they’re genuine. You can see the exact appearance of the Thai Lotto tickets on the GLO website. Pay attention to the official marks (silk threads and a special image that changes from one drawing to the next) and make sure these are identical on the ticket that you plan to buy.
Remember that the cost of the ticket is officially set at 80 baht. If a vendor is trying to charge you more than that, they are committing a violation. All violations can be reported by calling GLO at 02-3451466 or by filling out the complaint form on the official GLO website.
Can You Buy Thailand Lottery Tickets Online?
In this day and age, we’ve gotten accustomed to buying just about everything online. A logical question arises about the possibility of getting Thai lottery tickets online.
At the time being, it’s not possible to buy Thai lottery tickets online.
Thailand Lottery comes with pre-printed tickets. Players cannot choose their numbers to play. Thus, the respective batch of tickets is printed before the respective monthly drawing takes place and it is circulated among the authorized ticket vendors.
As already mentioned, tickets have distinctive characteristics that preclude the risk of falsification.
GLO does not create or distribute digital tickets. Thus, if you come across a website that’s promising you Thai lottery tickets, you should avoid making a purchase there. The only way to get Thai Lottery ticket involves visiting a retail venue or choosing a street vendor.
If you are a foreigner and you’re currently in Thailand, you’re free to participate in the lottery and buy from the licensed retailers. Those who are not on the territory of Thailand at the time being, however, do not have a chance to participate (unless a local Thai friend is willing to buy a ticket on one’s behalf).
Avoid Illegal Lotto at All Costs!
As already mentioned several times, the Thai Lottery is the only legal one in the country. Unfortunately, there are many illegitimate alternatives. These are advertised as offering better odds. If you spend some time in Thailand, you will probably come across at least one such scheme.
Usually, the scheme is carried out in the following way – the organizers will use the same six-digit numbers as in the case of the official Thailand Lottery. Based on these numbers, alternative prizes will be offered.
Illegal sellers run their books, take bets, and they may eventually be distributing prizes.
This is an endeavor you do not want to get yourself involved in. It’s illegal, there are no protections, and you could potentially get yourself in trouble if you opt for this possibility over the legitimate GLO national lottery.
The Thai lottery works simply and there’s nothing complicated about buying legitimate tickets. Once you have identified a reputable agent, it’s best to stick with them in the future. This is how you’ll make sure that you’re being sold the real thing and that your chances of winning a prize are 100 percent legitimate.