Thais pray they're barking up the right tree looking for lottery luck

[webfact]

Thais pray they're barking up the right tree looking for lottery luck

By Jiraporn Kuhakan and Panu Wongcha-um

 

People buy lottery tickets outside the Wat Kunnatri Ruttharam temple in Bangkok, Thailand November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Superstition and looking for luck are a part of daily life in Thailand. In one temple in central Bangkok, visitors hope to find it hidden in the bark of an ancient tree.

 

Hundreds flock to the Kunnatri Ruttharam temple every week to pay respects to the enormous dead tree trunk, which is draped in flowers and offerings from worshippers who believe rubbing its bark can reveal winning lottery numbers.

 

The state-run lottery business is booming in the kingdom, with ticket vendors on almost every street corner and buyers poring over numerology charts to pick the luckiest sequence.

 

The state lottery contributed 40.8 billion baht ($1.24 billion) to government revenue in 2018, according to data, the highest of any state-owned enterprise and more than double that of the state energy company PTT Pcl.

 

One lucky worshipper believes he won 70,000 baht ($2,122.50) thanks to the tree and said it has brought him luck before.

 

"I have won minor prizes before from this tree, I think when I am in tough spots the tree helps me," Pakapon Chummano, 54, said.

People have a variety of techniques for finding lucky lottery numbers, including visiting spirit mediums, praying to holy relics, or dropping candle wax on water at temples or other holy sites.

 

Lottery winnings are announced twice a month and the Government Lottery office estimates it sells an average of 90 million tickets per round in a country of almost 70 million people.

 

($1 = 32.9800 baht)

 

(Additional reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-22

[thailien8]

Andrew Biggs wrote an amusing essay on Thai lottery superstitions in Bangkok Post's B. Sunday supplement 18/11/18.  Dreams can be as good as dead trees if you believe.

[DM07]

"Hundreds flock to the Kunnatri Ruttharam temple every week to pay respects to the enormous dead tree trunk, which is draped in flowers and offerings from worshippers who believe rubbing its bark can reveal winning lottery numbers."

 

Just let all the parts of that sink in, for a bit!

The mind boggles!

[Phuketshrew]

barking mad if you ask me ...

[stanleycoin]

Nothing new.

Just standard Mumbo Jumbo,  at the Temple.

But it's nice to see the real reason,  most go to Temples. 

 

Ps it's the only reason,  i go now days.

I refuse to pay more than 80 baht for a ticket. 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2018 by stanleycoin

[briansbiology]

Thai's have a gambling problem. Any society still baed on superstition and thoughts of luck are susceptible to gambling. The government outlaws gambling except of course for it's own cash cow. Pretty much sums up the sickness in this country...and bastardised religion thrown into the stew of deplorability to add that extra zest! 

[Lupatria]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Superstition and looking for luck are a part of daily life in Thailand.

...spending a thought or two on the fate of their country is by far not so popular.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Lupatria

[zzaa09]

Savages....

[Justgrazing]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

worshippers who believe rubbing its bark can reveal winning lottery numbers.

Barking at the moon is just as likely to turn up a winning tick' .. 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"I have won minor prizes before from this tree, I think when I am in tough spots the tree helps me," Pakapon Chummano, 54, said.

Before denying he had stopped taking the anti delusional med's ..