Thailand introduces three-digit lottery tickets to combat overpricing

The Government Lottery Office (GLO) is set to release three-digit lottery tickets this month to address the persistent issues of overpricing and black-market ticket sales, board member Thanavath Phonvichai announced.

The initiative aims to enable Thais to purchase lottery tickets at a price not exceeding 80 baht (US$2.5), according to Thanavath. For decades, the office has struggled to mitigate the influence of powerful groups controlling ticket distribution and sales, leading to inflated prices. The latest effort comprises three phases.

The first phase involves law enforcement, while the second phase focuses on enhancing the lottery distribution system through an advance purchase-booking project, ensuring a more equitable distribution of tickets among nationwide distributors, Thanavath said.

“Currently, we are in the third phase of solving the problem sustainably and fairly, which is the introduction of the digital six-digit government lottery tickets via the Pao Tang application, with each ticket going for 80 baht. This service is proving popular,”

Currently, the highest sales volume is 24 million e-tickets per round, up from an initial 5 million per round in 2022.

Three-digit lottery tickets are seen as another method to combat overpriced tickets since some buyers, unable to purchase their desired numbers, resort to paying above market price or turning to underground markets.

Lieutenant Colonel Noon Sansanakom, the GLO director, said each three-digit ticket will cost 20 baht, allowing purchasers to select any number between 000 and 999.

Every ticket will be eligible to win prizes in one of four categories: 3-digit straight, 3-digit alternating, 2-digit straight, and special prizes, based on the results of the twice-monthly GLO draws.

The GLO will initiate a six-month trial of the three-digit tickets, beginning with sales on October 17 for the draw on November 1.

The three-digit tickets will not be available via the Pao Tang app initially but through 400 shops nationwide participating in the project to sell regular tickets at 80 baht. Payments can only be made through digital methods, said Lt. Col. Noon. Winners can claim their prizes via the app, reported Bangkok Post.

Sales data, the impact on customers and distributors, and the effect on the sale of digital six-digit tickets will be monitored during the trial period. Full sales of the three-digit tickets are scheduled to start in April 2025.