Thailand Anti-Gambling Coalition Opposes Lottery Policies

A coalition of anti-gambling organizations in Thailand has issued a formal statement rejecting political campaign proposals centered on lottery-based incentives, warning that such policies risk exacerbating gambling addiction, household debt, and social harm across vulnerable populations.

The five-region network, coordinated by the Stop Gambling Foundation, released its statement on 3 February 2026 in response to recent political party proposals that incorporate lottery mechanisms to drive public participation in government programs. The targeted initiatives include schemes designed to encourage household savings and incentivize small and medium-sized enterprises to register in official databases.

Thanakorn Komkrit, secretary-general of the Stop Gambling Foundation and spokesperson for the network, stated:

“The network hereby announces that we do not agree with the ‘all kinds of lottery’ policies of every political party, for the following reasons.”

Legal Classification and Regulatory Framework

The coalition emphasized that all lottery formats operate as gambling activities under the Gambling Act, B.E. 2478 (1935). This classification encompasses the Government Lottery, underground lotteries, and alternative lottery models. The network argued that positioning lotteries as legitimate policy instruments risks normalizing state-supported gambling activities and contradicts Thailand’s existing problem gambling management frameworks.

Scale of Annual Lottery Expenditure

According to the network’s data, Thai citizens spend more than 250 billion baht (approximately $7 billion) annually on combined state-run and underground lottery products. This expenditure level represents approximately three times the value of LTF and RMF mutual fund purchases and matches the investment value of the three-airport high-speed rail infrastructure project.

The coalition stated that this spending magnitude demonstrates the already significant role lotteries occupy in Thai society and warned that policy-driven expansion would increase financial pressure on households.

Participation Rates and Market Growth

The network’s 2023 data reveals that 27.5 million people purchased Government Lottery tickets while 22 million bought underground lottery tickets. This participation rate exceeds card games, online gambling, and football betting by a factor of five, establishing lotteries as the most prevalent gambling format in Thailand.

The coalition noted that more than 400,000 new lottery customers enter the market annually, highlighting sustained growth and the strong appeal of lottery products across demographic groups.

Impact on Vulnerable Demographics

The statement raised particular concerns regarding lottery participation among vulnerable populations. In 2023, more than 500,000 minors under age 18 purchased lottery products, including 400,000 who bought Government Lottery tickets and 170,000 who purchased underground lottery tickets.

Among young adults aged 19 to 25, nearly four million participated in lotteries, with 2.1 million purchasing Government Lottery tickets and 1.7 million buying underground lottery tickets. The network also identified 6.7 million older adults as regular participants, with 3.7 million purchasing Government Lottery tickets and three million buying underground tickets.

Market Expansion and Illegal Operations

Over the past 12 years, Government Lottery ticket production has increased approximately 300 percent, rising from 36 million tickets in 2013 to more than 100 million currently. The network stated that underground lottery markets have expanded at comparable rates during the same period.

The coalition also noted that secondary formats, including online lotteries and neighboring-country lotteries, have grown by more than 150 percent. The network warned that introducing additional lottery products could enable underground operators to issue parallel lotteries and stimulate further gambling activity.

Addiction Prevalence and Behavioral Patterns

More than one in five lottery players reported addiction and an inability to stop purchasing tickets, according to the network’s findings. More than five million people acknowledged addiction to Government Lottery tickets, while 4.5 million reported addiction to underground lotteries and 600,000 to other lottery formats.

The coalition stated that individuals attempting to cease lottery purchases frequently experience irritability, restlessness, and inability to restrain purchasing behavior, resulting in relapse.

Political Context and Election Cycle Debate

The statement arrives during Thailand’s 2025 to 2026 election cycle, as political parties incorporate lottery mechanisms into campaign platforms. The Pheu Thai Party has proposed a “nine millionaires a day” initiative that would award 1 million baht ($28,000) to nine individuals daily through a lottery system. The party positions the plan as a tool for improving official data collection and supporting tax compliance, though it has faced social and ethical criticism.

Thailand’s regulatory framework permits only two legal gambling formats: the Government Lottery and horse racing in Bangkok. The Government Lottery Office administers the lottery, which has operated since 1939. Prize money accounts for approximately 60 percent of ticket revenue, while roughly 28 percent flows to government revenue.

Call for Alternative Policy Approaches

The network urged political parties to recognize that Thai citizens have long been exposed to lottery marketing and that socioeconomic inequality drives many people to place hopes on lottery winnings. The coalition warned that introducing additional lottery formats would reinforce the perception that waiting for luck receives state acceptance and support, perpetuating the belief that lotteries represent the only path to life improvement.

The statement called on the state to support citizens in building stable lives independently and to reduce gambling’s role in society rather than employing gambling as a policy tool. The coalition urged all political parties to compete on creative policy proposals that demonstrate governance capability rather than competing to offer “hope that is entirely hopeless” through lottery-based incentives.

Source: Stop Gambling Foundation