During World War I, the Thailand lottery was introduced to help fund the king’s war efforts. King Rama V first launched the lottery at an international fair.
The Thai Lottery has a legislative framework that determines prize payouts. The government lottery, based on the Thai government, is run by the Government Lottery Office (GLO). หวยนกตาทิพย์ is one of two legal forms of gambling in Thailand. The other is horse racing in Bangkok.
The official national lottery is drawn twice a month. The drawings are broadcast on the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand and Radio Thailand Domestic Service. The drawing takes place at a designated venue in Bangkok. A winner must present his or her winning ticket and passport to collect his or her prize. If the prize amount is below 20,000 baht, the winner will receive cash.
Thai Lottery tickets have six-digit numbers. The numbers are printed on special yellow paper with a two-tone watermark. There is also a silk thread which can be seen with the naked eye.
Tickets must be purchased from agents and retailers. One in four Thais regularly play the lottery. In Thailand, two thirds of lottery players are low income. They purchase over 250 billion baht worth of tickets each year. The top prize is a one in a million chance.
The Thai lottery has a legislative framework that has been in place for a long time. It is designed to raise funds for national causes and social welfare. The legislative framework determines the percentage of ticket sales that goes to these causes.