Printed-Number Ticket Lotteries: How Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and Japanese Draws Work

What a printed-number ticket lottery is

Most people picture a lottery as a game where you pick numbers. These are the opposite. You buy a ticket that already carries a number, a series letter, or both, and you wait for the draw. If the drawn number matches what is printed on your ticket, you win. Nothing about the outcome depends on a choice you made.

Japan's Jumbo lottery describes itself exactly this way: tickets where the block and number are decided in advance, and you collect a prize when the drawn winning number matches⁶. The same structure runs through the Thai government lottery, the Indian state lotteries and Vietnam's provincial draws. The ticket is a bearer document. Whoever holds the winning ticket can claim, which is why losing a ticket usually means losing the prize.

This is sometimes called a passive lottery, because there is no play decision beyond buying or not buying. It also means every ticket in a draw has the same chance, and the only way to improve your odds is to hold more tickets.

Thailand: the Government Lottery Office draw

Thailand's government lottery is run by the Government Lottery Office and draws on the 1st and 16th of each month⁴. It is a legal form of gambling in Thailand, and it is the country's most widely played one⁷.

Each draw is built from a set of 1,000,000 tickets, priced at THB 80 each¹. Within a set there are 14,168 prizes worth a combined THB 48,000,000¹. The headline prizes per set, assuming the whole set sells, are:

The last-two-digits prize is drawn once and pays THB 10,000 per set if all tickets sell¹. The three-digit prizes are drawn twice, covering both the front three digits and the last three digits of the winning number¹.

Tickets reach buyers through two systems. A distributor agent system covers 31 million tickets, and an advance purchase and booking system covers no more than 69 million tickets per draw⁸. Quota agents in Bangkok collect their tickets at the GLO office near Don Mueang, while provincial quota agents collect at provincial halls or provincial treasury offices. People who buy or book in advance receive their tickets through Thailand Post at post offices nationwide⁸.

Thai ticket format, price and discounts

The current format is a single ticket at THB 80. Before the draw of September 1, 2017, tickets were sold as a pair at THB 80, meaning THB 40 per ticket, and before that the price was THB 20 per ticket⁹. The draw itself was also shortened, from seven digits to six⁹.

Buyers in the retail, disabled and advance purchase categories get a 12 percent discount on the ticket price⁸. That discount is the reason the official price and the street price can differ.

On the street, the picture is different. Tickets with attractive numbers, or sold in sets, have been reported at THB 110 per ticket and up, with the lowest price around THB 90¹⁰. The official price is THB 80, but popular numbers carry a premium because the seller can charge it.

If you want to buy through the official digital channel instead, the Paotang app sells tickets from a pool of not less than 5,000,000 tickets, and buyers must be at least 20 years old¹¹. Tickets that do not win can be collected at the Government Lottery Office before the draw date of the next draw¹¹.

Claiming a Thai lottery prize: deadlines, stamp duty and payment methods

The prize is paid to whoever presents the winning ticket, so the ticket itself is what matters¹. You have two years from the draw date to claim a government lottery prize. After that the money goes to state revenue¹. Charity lottery prizes have a longer window of ten years¹.

Stamp duty is deducted at THB 1 for every THB 200 of prize money, or part of THB 200¹. On a THB 6,000,000 first prize that is a meaningful deduction, and it is taken before you are paid.

Payment works by size. Prizes under THB 20,000 are paid in cash. Prizes of THB 20,000 and above are paid by check from the Krungthai Bank Government Lottery Office branch, with stamp duty already deducted¹². Bank transfer is also used, with inter-bank transfers up to THB 2,000,000 per transaction⁴. Prize payments are made through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Government Savings Bank and Krungthai Bank⁴.

If you are claiming in person, the office handles 65,000 tickets per day, split into 45,000 in the morning from 07:30 to 12:00 and 20,000 in the afternoon from 12:01 to 15:00, Monday to Friday, through online queue booking⁴.

One thing worth knowing before you count your winnings: if the tickets in a draw are not all sold, each prize is reduced proportionally¹. The published figures assume a full sell-out.

Maharashtra State Lottery: schemes and draw schedule

Maharashtra runs one of the largest state lottery programs in India. The schedule covers 27 weekly draws, 5 monthly draws and 6 yearly bumper draws². Draws are held every day from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at the office of the Deputy Director (Finance and Accounts), Maharashtra State Lottery, Vashi, Navi Mumbai¹³.

Ticket prices vary by scheme. The Maharashtra Pearl Mini draw and the Maharashtra Gold Mini draw both sell tickets at INR 10¹⁴. Weekly schemes such as Ganesh Laxmi, Sahyadri Prabhalaxmi and Sahyadri Rajlaxmi carry a first prize of INR 10,000¹⁵. The monthly Tejaswini lottery has a first prize of INR 10 lakh¹⁵.

Bumper draws are where the big money sits. The Dasara Bhaavyatam scheme has a first prize of INR 10,000,000, with one winning ticket out of two eligible¹⁵. The Diwali Bhavyatam lottery prints 250,000 tickets in total¹⁶. The Natal Navin Varsha Bhavyatam draw prints 100,000 tickets¹⁷.

Print runs for the smaller schemes are modest. The Tuesday weekly lottery prints 801 tickets, the Wednesday weekly 1,301, the monthly Thursday draw 4,190, the Vin Bumper 2,646 and the Diwali Bumper 4,836¹⁵. The Ganesh Laxmi monthly lottery prints 100,000 tickets¹⁸.

Draw mechanics for the big bumper prizes are done in public. For the Diwali Bhavyatam first prize of INR 1,00,00,000, one disc per series with the series letter and number goes into separate plastic or rubber covers in a separate drum. One pouch is drawn and the series letter announced, then the winning number is drawn¹⁶.

Official results appear on the Maharashtra State Lottery website and in selected newspapers⁵.

Claiming a Maharashtra prize: 90-day deadline and where to go

The deadline is 90 days from the draw date, and the original ticket has to go with the claim⁵. That applies to every prize level¹⁹.

Where you claim depends on the amount:

Prizes up to INR 10,000 can be collected from the seller who sold you the ticket¹⁹. Anything above that goes to the Deputy Director, Maharashtra State Lottery, Vashi, Navi Mumbai¹⁹.

Only one prize can be claimed per ticket, and the original ticket must be submitted to the government¹⁸. That rule appears across the monthly and bumper schemes, including the Ganesh Laxmi monthly lottery, the Tejaswini monthly lottery and the Natal Navin Varsha Bhavyatam draw²⁰.

The office address for claims and applications is T-Block, 1st Floor, Plot No. 7, Dana Bazar, APMC Market, Sector 19-V, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400705¹⁸. Ticket sales to sellers are handled from the same building at Sector 19-B²⁰. The office phone is 022-27846720, and prize claim queries can also go to 022-27845481⁵. The office email is maharashtrastatelottery@yahoo.co.in¹³.

Takarakuji: how Japan's public lottery is run and sold

Takarakuji is Japan's public lottery. It is issued by prefectures and ordinance-designated cities, with sales operations mainly entrusted to Mizuho Bank³.

You can buy tickets at a range of outlets³:

• Banks such as Mizuho Bank
• Lottery stalls in shopping districts, stations and shopping centers
• Tobacco shops, liquor shops, supermarkets, station kiosks
• Post offices in areas without a stall
• Some bank ATMs

There is no statutory age limit for buying Takarakuji or claiming a prize, but prizes won by someone under 20 are paid to a guardian. Internet sales of number-selection lotteries and One Piece Scratch are restricted to age 20 and over, and the Mizuho ATM service asks under-20s not to use it³.

Jumbo lotteries can also be ordered by mail from Mizuho Bank. You send the ticket money, a return envelope and an application form. Under-20s cannot buy this way. Payment can be made in cash, by ordinary exchange, by fixed-amount exchange, or with winning tickets³.

Number-selection draws start at 18:45 JST, normally at the Takarakuji Dream Museum in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, and sometimes at the Osaka Takarakuji Dream Museum in Naniwa Ward, Osaka³. Draws are public and open to anyone except Quick One, with lawyers, municipal staff and Mizuho Bank staff present as witnesses³.

Prize caps have moved. Number-selection lotteries pay up to JPY 800,000,000, rising to JPY 1,200,000,000 from February 2025³. Event lotteries held at national event venues usually pay a first prize of JPY 100,000, handed over on the spot at the venue windows³.

Takarakuji prizes: claim deadlines, ID rules and tax treatment

Takarakuji prizes expire one year after the draw date, meaning the day before the first anniversary, or the next business day if that falls on a bank holiday³.

What you need to bring depends on the amount:

Prizes up to JPY 10,000 can be claimed at lottery sales outlets, and outlets displaying a JPY 50,000 or JPY 100,000 mark can handle those amounts too³. Above JPY 10,000 you write your address and name in the space on the ticket. From JPY 500,000 you need identity documents, and over JPY 1,000,000 a personal seal. Cash claims over JPY 100,000 need photo ID and paperwork under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds³.

Same-day payment has a ceiling. Up to JPY 1,000,000 can be paid the same day, and larger amounts take several days to process³.

The tax treatment is unusually simple. Takarakuji prize money is tax exempt, with no income tax, no resident tax and no tax return required³. That changes if you give the money away: gift tax applies if you gift more than JPY 1,100,000 per year to relatives, inheritance tax applies to inherited winnings, and corporate tax applies if a company receives the prize³.

Buying from abroad: what Japanese law prohibits

Buying Takarakuji from outside Japan is not possible through the official online channel²¹. The site accepts buyers in Japan only.

Selling foreign lotteries in Japan for profit is illegal, and buying overseas lotteries domestically by mail order or on request is also illegal³. Sports promotion lottery tickets carry the same restriction: purchase from overseas is not permitted²².

If you are in Japan and want to buy online, the official site offers continuous purchase at a set period and frequency, plus advance reservation of ordinary tickets such as Jumbo before sales start²³. Ordinary tickets such as Jumbo can be bought from the reservation sale start date until 23:50 on the sale end date²⁴. Tickets bought during the reservation period are settled on the sale start date²⁴.

Payment is by credit card or carrier payment²³. From November 2020, VISA, Mastercard and JCB brand cards from any issuer have been accepted³. You register a payment method and a bank account for receiving winnings, both in your own name²¹. Tickets are not mailed; numbers are confirmed on the website and prizes are paid by bank transfer³.

Prize payment is automatic for larger amounts. Prizes of JPY 10,000 or more are in principle transferred to your registered account within about one week from the next business day after the draw²⁵. Prizes under JPY 10,000 are reflected in your My Page as held winnings the next business day after the draw²⁵. For number-selection tickets bought by ATM or net banking, prizes are transferred to the purchase account two business days after the draw³.

One timing quirk: purchases made from 18:20 to 8:00 the next day on a draw day, or from 19:50 to 8:00 the next day on a non-draw day, show as issuance reserved and change to waiting for draw after 8:00 the next morning²⁴.