April Thai lottery postponed

The Thai national lottery scheduled for April 1 will now take place on May 2, and the other April 16 and May 2 lottery draws have been cancelled. The Thai Government Lottery Office made the announcement today. The bi-monthly drawing of the six magic numbers is one of the most watched TV programs in Thailand.

The move, sure to disappoint many Thai people, already down on their luck due to the effects of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and hoping to win the lottery during these difficult times, is intended “to promote social distancing”, according to a spokesman for the office.

The Chairman of the Lottery Office, Phachara Anantaslip, say that if the situation worsens, there may be further postponements.

The Lottery Office is also considering temporarily using online channels or machines to distribute tickets during the crisis, saying that they don’t want to put the public at risk, and encourage social distancing from the usual individual ticket vendors. This means, however, that many low income workers, who depend on selling lottery tickets, many whom are disabled, will be out of work during this period, joining millions of others.

Thailand’s government announced a series of measures intended to help such “informal workers,” including cash handouts of 5000 baht per month per person for those who qualify.

Source: The Pattaya News