Thai Lottery Office

What the Government Lottery Office is

The Government Lottery Office (GLO) is the state body that prints and sells Thailand's national lottery. Since the draw of May 2, 2019 it has printed two ticket types: government lottery tickets and charity lottery tickets⁵. The lottery is a form of gambling that is legal in Thailand, which is why you see tickets sold openly on the street and in shops⁶.

The GLO also runs the L6 lottery, which comes in two forms: paper tickets sold through printing, and digital tickets sold through the Paotang application⁷. Both carry the same headline prize.

Prizes and how many win per draw

A full set is 1,000,000 tickets at THB 80 each, and it holds 14,168 prizes worth THB 48,000,000 in total¹. If the set does not sell out, each prize is reduced proportionally¹.

The first prize is one winning six-digit number, and the two tickets carrying numbers either side of it win THB 100,000 each⁸. The three-digit front and three-digit last prizes are each drawn twice, so there are 2,000 winners of THB 4,000 in each category¹. The two-digit last prize pays THB 2,000 to each of 10,000 winners per set¹.

The L6 lottery carries the same first prize: THB 6,000,000, one prize¹⁰. Its three-digit front prize is THB 4,000 across 2,000 prizes, drawn twice¹⁰.

Prize money is paid to whoever holds the winning ticket and presents it to claim⁴.

How old you have to be

Buyers must be at least 20 years old². The same age floor applies to prize recipients of the government lottery and other GLO lotteries: you must be at least 20 to collect¹¹.

The GLO also prohibits ticket sales in schools, as a way of keeping the lottery away from young people¹².

For comparison, some neighboring lotteries set the bar lower. Taiwan's lottery, for instance, allows buying and redeeming from 18¹³. Thailand's floor is 20.

Buying tickets: agents, advance booking and unofficial channels

Tickets reach buyers through two systems: a distributor agent system of 31 million tickets, and an advance purchase and booking system with an allocation of no more than 69 million tickets per draw¹⁴. The advance purchase side alone covers 40,000 books per draw¹⁴.

Where you collect depends on who you are:

• Quota agents in Bangkok collect their tickets at the GLO office (Sanambin Nam) in Nonthaburi¹⁴
• Provincial quota agents collect at provincial halls or provincial treasury offices¹⁴
• People who buy or book in advance receive tickets through Thailand Post at post offices nationwide¹⁴

For an ordinary buyer, the practical route is a licensed agent with a physical shop, or the Paotang app. The GLO asks buyers to use only those two channels so that prize money is guaranteed³. Anyone can legally buy Thai lottery tickets, including foreigners, as long as the purchase is from a licensed vendor inside Thailand⁹.

Digital tickets sold through Paotang are capped at THB 80, and every ticket belongs to a retail agent¹⁵. The digital platform has had at least 5,000,000 tickets available, with 10,513 agents holding distribution contracts¹⁶. Digital lottery shops sell between 06:00 and 23:00¹⁷.

What to avoid: tickets sold through online platforms and automatic vending machines that are not the official channel. The GLO has no policy or contract with those sellers, and you may end up paying more than THB 80¹⁸. If you want the full picture on the legitimate online route, see how to buy Thai lottery tickets online.

How and where to claim prizes

You have 2 years from the draw date to claim. After that the money goes to state revenue⁴.

Paper tickets. Claim at the Government Lottery Office, or at any branch of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Krungthai Bank or Government Savings Bank. Bring the winning paper ticket and your ID card¹⁰. Major prizes are claimed at the GLO office in Nonthaburi province, just outside Bangkok¹⁴.

Digital tickets. The app notifies you when you win. You then choose either a transfer to the Krungthai bank account linked to your profile, or an in-person claim at the Government Lottery Office¹⁹. The physical ticket stays at the GLO office¹⁹.

How prizes are paid. Prizes under THB 20,000 are paid in cash. Prizes of THB 20,000 and above are paid by check from Krungthai Bank, with stamp duty already deducted⁶. At the G floor counter, prize money is credited to your bank account or paid by Krungthai Bank check²⁰. Inter-bank transfers run up to THB 2,000,000 per transaction¹⁷.

If you go to the office in person. You must book a queue through the online booking system on www.glo.or.th before you arrive²¹. The prize payment counter is open Monday to Friday, 07.30 to 15.00, with no midday break, and closed on official holidays²¹. The office handles up to 65,000 tickets a day: 45,000 in the morning slot from 07.30 to 12.00, and 20,000 in the afternoon slot from 12.01 to 15.00¹⁷. Staff use an ID card reader to record the claimant's name and address²².

One quirk of the digital system: if you hold a digital ticket that did not win and you want the physical ticket, you can collect it at the Government Lottery Office before the draw date of the next draw¹⁶.

Where the office is and how to reach it

The Government Lottery Office is at 359 Nonthaburi Road, Tha Sai subdistrict, Mueang Nonthaburi district, Nonthaburi province 11000²³. That is in Nonthaburi, just north of central Bangkok, not in the city center.

The call center is 0 2528 9999¹⁴. It handles general inquiries²⁴ and status checks for successful advance buyers and bookers, and it runs from 07.30 to 15.30²³.

If you are planning a trip around Thai gambling more broadly, can I gamble in Thailand covers what else is legal, and the lottery in Thailand goes deeper on who can play.

The L6 lottery and the digital shift

L6 is the GLO's newer lottery format, sold as paper tickets through printing and as digital tickets through Paotang⁷. When it launched, existing agents had their contracts extended to sell both the paper and digital versions, and disadvantaged and disabled groups among those agents were selected to sell the digital L6⁷.

The digital side is where the growth is. Digital tickets are capped at THB 80, and every ticket is tied to a retail agent rather than sold direct by the office¹⁵. The platform started with at least 5,000,000 tickets and 10,513 contracted agents¹⁶.

For a buyer, the practical difference between paper and digital is mostly about claiming. Paper means you hold the ticket and can walk into a bank branch. Digital means the app tells you, and you choose a bank transfer or a trip to the office¹⁹.

What is not allowed

Playing on unofficial online platforms and vending machines is not sanctioned by the GLO, and tickets bought there may cost more than THB 80 with no guarantee you will be paid¹⁸. The GLO has no policy or contract with those sellers¹⁸.

Selling lottery tickets in schools is prohibited¹².

Questions a first-timer asks

Can foreigners buy tickets? Yes. Anyone can legally buy Thai lottery tickets from licensed vendors inside Thailand⁹.

What does a ticket cost? THB 80, whether paper or digital⁴.

What if the set does not sell out? Every prize is reduced proportionally¹.

How long do I have to claim? Two years from the draw date⁴.

Where do I check if I won? The GLO publishes prize-check information, and the digital app notifies winners directly¹⁹.

If you are curious about the informal side of Thai lottery culture, the underground lottery in Thailand explains how it works and why it sits outside the official system. There is also a retirement lottery product worth knowing about.