Why Some Thai Lottery Draws Are Not on the 1st or 16th
The Thai government lottery is normally drawn on the 1st and the 16th of each month. The GLO’s own list of draws shows that a few dates are different, and they follow a pattern.
January: the 2nd and the 17th
The GLO’s list for 2026 starts on 2 January and its second draw is on 17 January. The press (Sanook) reports the reasons: 1 January is New Year, so the draw moves to the 2nd, and 16 January is Teachers’ Day, so it moves to the 17th. The GLO’s list for 2025 has the same two dates.
A press report in October 2026 says the New Year draw of 2027 is on Saturday 2 January 2027, with the GLO’s official announcement still to come. The 2027 draw on 17 January is shown on the schedule as the usual date, not an announced one.
May: the 2nd
In both 2025 and 2026 the GLO’s list has the May draw on 2 May, not 1 May. The GLO gives no reason; 1 May is Labour Day, which is the likely one. The site labels this reason as inferred.
December 2026: the 17th
The government complaints centre 1111 published a notice, quoting the GLO’s Facebook page, that the 16 December 2026 draw moves to 17 December for the six-digit and the three-digit tickets, out of respect for the royal cremation ceremony of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. The GLO’s own post could not be opened, so the site marks the date as announced rather than listed.
What it means for you
A date shown as the usual one can still move. Check the schedule on the lottery page before you plan around a draw day; the 2027 calendar was not out when this was written.