Thailand's Government Lottery Board approved a plan to expand digital lottery tickets sold through the Paotang application to 30 million tickets in 2023, 40 million in 2024 and 50 million in 2025, the Government Public Relations Department said on January 20, 20231. The board is chaired by Lavaron Sangsnit, director general of the Revenue Department1.
Under the plan, the total lottery system would hold 50 million paper tickets and 50 million digital tickets1. The number of buyers is expected to rise from 1.8 million to 2 to 3 million people1.
The expansion comes from four approaches, including cutting rights in the reservation and purchase system for those who sell above price or sell wholesale to private platforms, and voluntary participation1.
"ที่ประชุมกรรมการสลากฯ เห็นชอบแนวทางการเพิ่มสลากดิจิทัล ผ่านแอปพลิเคชันเป๋าตัง ในปี 2566 เป็น 30 ล้านใบ"
A six-digit lottery format, known as L6, is under proposal to the Ministry of Finance; if complete, existing paper tickets would not need to be printed and could be shifted to digital1. Quota groups under contract that ends in December 2023 are to be brought into the digital system gradually by the lottery allocation committee1.
Lavaron said the Paotang system verifies identity clearly and cannot sell to anyone under 201. Winners are notified, and buyers can choose to claim prizes themselves or receive transfers through the g-wallet or any bank account, with a 1 percent fee, the same as existing paper tickets1. First prize must be claimed in person1. An automated system letting buyers choose their prize payment method in advance is expected within one month1. Digital tickets carry a receipt showing name and address, plus a purchase history from the first draw onward, as evidence for checking whether a ticket has won1.
What it means for players
The shift moves a larger share of Thailand's government lottery onto the Paotang app, where identity verification applies and sales to under-20s are blocked1. Prize collection becomes more flexible for most tiers, with a 1 percent fee on transfers, while first prize still requires an in-person claim1. Digital receipts and purchase histories give buyers a record to check against results1. Ticket prices and the cost of a Thai government lottery ticket are not addressed in the announcement.
What happens next
An automated system for choosing prize payment methods in advance is expected within one month of the announcement1. The L6 format remains under proposal to the Ministry of Finance, and quota groups under contracts ending in December 2023 are to be moved into the digital system gradually1.
