The joy of the lottery

By Thai PBS World Feature Desk

Thais genuinely enjoy playing the lottery. Even though the chances of winning the grand prize are staggeringly low, only one in a million, they buy more and more tickets every day.

A 2021 survey by the Centre for Gambling Studies at Chulalongkorn University revealed that more than 24 million Thais – about 45.4 per cent of the Thai population – snapped up national lottery tickets in 2021. The figure showed an increase of 8.3% from an earlier survey in 2019.

The money circulating in the national lottery gambling was estimated at 139.98 billion in 2021.

Why are lotteries so compelling?

An economics professor at Chulalongkorn University views buying lottery tickets as the main hope for climbing the socio-economic ladder. In an article entitled “Lottery: The Hope for Upward Mobility”, the academic said that people in Thailand hope to win a lottery prize because they have almost no optimism about becoming wealthy. Working hard, they say, gives no hope for a better position in life. Lotteries are therefore seen as a risk worth taking. Simply put, winning is regarded as the main hope for economic and social mobility.

Thai PBS World asked lottery players about their motives for buying lottery tickets and why they feel the need to keep playing. Some respondents, especially those facing financial constraints, often regard the lottery as their hope to get out of debt, offering a dazzling promise of sudden riches and a better future. Others view it as a psychological pleasure that enables them to indulge in fantasies of ‘what if’, offering a temporary but meaningful emotional lift. Sharing fantasies of fortune and of the lottery tactics they use in picking the numbers create peer pressure, making it hard for them to stop playing.

Respondents shared their personal number selection strategies, how they play, their lottery fantasies and the experiences of buying lottery tickets.

A world of hopes and dreams

Entrepreneur Nuan, 54, has fun playing the lottery, saying it makes her more optimistic about the future.

“They keep my hopes alive. I know the chances we will win are very slim. But somebody will win, right? It’s just not me this time but someone else. That gives me a little hope. It could be me who will win someday,” she said.

She buys many national lottery tickets and also plays the underground lottery, spending around 5,000 baht a month. She once won the last three-digit prize in an underground lottery of about 150,000 baht.

“I’ve had a little success so far. But the odds are not often in my favour,” Nuan said.

The Thai lottery is drawn twice a month, on the 1st and 16th of every month. It’s legal gambling permitted in the country.

She admits that she has not achieved monetary success buying lottery tickets, but says each draw allows her to dream about what she would do with the winning prize and how it could change her life.

“I love to dream about winning the lottery. It makes me happy,” Nuan said.

If she wins a grand prize, she would clear her debts and travel in Europe. She would also use the money to do good.

“I see many posts showing gorgeous spots with stunning mountain scenery in Europe on Instagram. One of my favorites is the Swiss National Park. I love the mountains, the waterfalls and the wildflowers. I want to visit the place once in my life. But I would also donate some money to temples and foundations,” she said.

Each player has a different approach to picking lottery numbers. Nuan’s personal number selection strategies are based on statistics. She often chooses the most frequently drawn numbers including 98, 46, 79 and 03.

“If you win with the most popularly used numbers when playing the underground lottery, you would be paid half of the prize money because so many players might use the same numbers,” she said, adding that players are informed in advance about the conditions.

Nuan enjoys sharing her tactics and her chosen numbers with friends and her siblings through a popular group messaging app.

“We always have great conversations after the winning numbers are drawn. It’s really funny,” she said.

It’s all about luck

Pang, a 45-year-old hair stylist, says she usually uses the numbers that are related to unexpected events in her life as well as those linked to death, like the ages of the deceased and the year in which they were born.

“My aunt told me that a water monitor (tua ngern tua thong) ran into her house one day before the winning numbers were drawn. I played her house number,” she said.

Many Thais believe that finding giant lizards near their home means they’re in for some good luck as the reptiles symbolize wealth and fortune. Others, meanwhile, believe that they bring bad luck, probably because the Thai word for water monitors is used as a swear word.

In Pang’s view, playing the lottery is just a matter of luck. She plays it mindfully, buying just one or two tickets online.

“Buying online lottery numbers is convenient. It’s super quick and easy. The digital ticket is only 80 baht a pop. I think that’s fair enough. Vendors often convince me to buy several tickets. That can make me overspend,” she said, adding that she sometimes buys physical lottery tickets from the blind who sell them for a living.

The ticket prices of the physical lottery range from 100 to 120 baht.

The Government Lottery Office, a state-owned enterprise under the Financial Ministry, has sold digital lottery tickets since 2022 via the Pao Tang application to crack down on the excessive ticket sale prices.

Pang said the lottery is worth the risk, pointing out that the potential prize value is enormous when compared with the cost of a ticket. The first prize in the Thai lottery is 6 million baht.

“For just as little as 80 baht for a ticket, you have the potential to become a millionaire. You can also enjoy the small moments, waiting for the draw, sharing a ticket with friends, or even helping the needy. It’s a great experience,” she said.

The beacon of instant wealth

Single mom Nok, meanwhile, bets in the hope of having a better life. She buys a national lottery ticket every draw in the hope of becoming a winner and an instant millionaire.

“Money is hard to come by but so easy to spend. The lottery could make me rich quickly,” said the 57-year-old employee of a shipping and logistics company.

She adores reading lottery success stories shared by the winners on social media, saying these inspire her to buy a ticket.

“It’s exciting to know how they feel after suddenly finding themselves rolling in cash and what they plan to do with the winning money. I also imagine I’ve won it too. That’s so inspiring,” Nok said.

If she won a grand prize, she would pay off all her debts and buy a house. She would also keep some for her son and daughter’s education and save for her retirement.

The lottery is more than just a game of chance; it’s a game changer in her life, the mother of two said.