Politics, religion and money are globally considered the things one should never bring up in polite conversation. But are you aware that in Thailand there's one topic you can talk about with anybody, no matter the circumstances? It's a special subject that even complete strangers can chat about like buddies.
Nope, it's not the weather or celebrities. It's our national pastime, the government lottery.
Twice a month, the national lottery is drawn. Since most people not only buy the official tickets but also bet with illegal operators who rely on broadcast results, the most anticipated prizes are not the top or the second ones that only holders of the legitimate tickets are entitled to but the two- and three-digit prizes. The underground lottery is popular mainly because it pays more.
The first day of the month and the 16th, when the lottery results are announced, are the most exciting days for millions across the country. On these two days, hope can be fulfilled or crushed. Either way, Thais can laugh about it. After all, it's just a game. Losers have no problem making fun of themselves, and are usually almost immediately ready for another turn to try their luck.
Toy, the owner of one of my favourite massage shops, is a big fan of the lottery. One day, while we were joking about how she narrowly missed the winning two-digit prize, she revealed that she's not the only one in the family who's crazy about this kind of gambling. Her father is, too.
"My dad is 81, and the lottery has always been the love of his life," Toy said, laughing. "He even said that without it he could have been dead a long time ago."
That, added Toy, was not just funny but also true.
I asked why that's so.
Toy explained that her father lives by himself in a village in Buri Ram. All of his contemporaries are no longer around. Her mother, too, passed away, 10 years ago.
"It is usual in old couples that when a spouse dies, the other soon follows. Loneliness kills," she said. "But that's not the case with my dad."
Thanks to the lottery, he makes friends with every family in the village. It's a topic everybody enjoys talking about. Regularly, a few days before the lottery-drawing days, he would visit virtually every house to seek and exchange potential lucky numbers. They may talk about current news or last night's dream, or anything.
"This gives him the otherwise lost social life," said Toy. "Also, his brain is never idle because he's always calculating."
I asked how much her father normally spends on the lottery, and whether it affects him financially.
"About 2,000 baht each time," she said. "But, unlike me, he often wins. Besides, to him, 2,000 baht is not a lot of money."
The old man, said Toy, has over 100 rai of farmland which he rents to other villagers. They pay with produce, which he then sells.
"He's a small-scale businessman and he has many bank accounts for different purposes. The money he uses on the lottery is his petty cash."
Toy said that every month, she has to deposit 5,000 baht into one of her father's accounts.
"It's not that I'm giving him my money -- I'm just paying back in intalments the money I had borrowed," she said, laughing out loud. "Of course, the several hundred thousand baht that I've gotten from him for free don't count."
Before I left Toy's shop, I admitted that I had never thought of the lottery as having such health benefits. I told Toy to wish her father luck next time she calls. Also, I would love to know what two-digit number he recommends for the next lottery draw.
Pongpet Mekloy is travel editor of The Bangkok Post.
