Thailand’s lottery office stops paying out prizes with cash

Thailand‘s lucky lottery winners can no longer claim their prize in cash from the Government Lottery Office (GLO), effective immediately, according to an announcement by government deputy spokesperson Traisuree Traisorankul this weekend.

If the winner’s prize exceeds 2 million baht, the GLO will transfer the money only to a Government Savings Bank account or an account with the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).

Alternatively, winners can receive a check from the Krung Thai Bank’s GLO branch office or winners can claim their prize at any Government Savings Bank, Krung Thai Bank, or BAAC Bank branch in the country.

If foreigners win the lottery and they don’t have a Thai bank account, they may still be given their prize in cash from the GLO, as can Thais without a bank account.

As usual, lottery winners must be 20 years old or more and tickets must not be severely damaged, said the spokesperson. Winners with slightly damaged tickets can still claim prizes but the ticket must be verified for authenticity first, she added.

The government advises lottery winners to keep their tickets to themselves for their safety.

Yesterday, police were called to the entrance of Soi Phai Singto in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district to check if a man lying motionless in the haphazard overhead cables was alive or not, which he was.

The man told police that he won the 4,000 baht in the lottery on Saturday and got so drunk that he decided to scale a tree and go to sleep in a hammock of communication cables. He didn’t wake up until forced to at 2.40pm yesterday. It’s a wonder how he didn’t fall out or get electrocuted.

Last month, a man who won the government lottery laid out 100 pig’s heads in front of the famous 30-metre-tall Buddha statue at Wat Klang Bang Phra Temple in Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand. He said he was fulfilling his vow to the Buddha.

An egg seller from Prachin Buri province in central Thailand won the lottery’s first prize of 6 million baht last month, but it still wasn’t enough to pay off her 10 million baht debt.

Last week, a 69 year old Thai aunty got arrested for gambling after accidentally sending her underground (illegal) lottery numbers to a police group chat on Line.