Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan speaks during an audience with HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the Royal Consort HRH Princess Srirasmi and HRH Prince Teepangkorn Rasmichoti yesterday at Don Muang airport.

The best-sellers have been the numbers 960 and 60. The nine refers to the Ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty and the 60 to His Majesty's 60 years on the throne. The next most popular number is 992, the number of His Majesty's car licence plate, and then 2470, the King's year of birth according to the Buddhist calendar.

Throughout the official grand celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne, lottery buyers have been taking a gamble on these numbers hoping they will prove lucky.

Some lottery vendors have taken advantage by overcharging for tickets featuring the auspicious numbers, with tickets going for as much as Bt500 each, compared to the usual prices ranging from Bt20 to Bt100. Predicting the high demand for today's draw, the Government Lottery Office (GLO) increased the circulation for the two- and three-digit lottery to 69 million tickets, which breaks all previous lottery distribution records. The value of today's lottery is Bt2.2 billion.

Somsri, a lottery vendor in Chiang Mai, reported that her sales of lottery tickets for this draw had reached as much as Bt100,000 over the last few days and she predicted that sales would continue to be good for the rest of the year.

Somnuek Krachangchan, a lottery vendor in Phichit, said some buyers had stockpiled booklets of two- and three-digit lottery tickets, while regular government lottery tickets had sold out yesterday morning.

The lack of availability in northeastern provinces has led to illegal lottery practices, resulting in the need to limit the sales of tickets with popular numbers to prevent losses. Meanwhile, the two-digit winning number for the last lottery draw was 99, an auspicious number symbolic of His Majesty the King. It resulted in the GLO having to pay out about Bt1.55 billion in prizes, representing a loss of Bt15 million.

This was the third consecutive period in which the GLO has operated at a loss. There are two lottery draws each month. To win the jackpot, a ticket's six-digit serial number must match the first-prize winning number and its booklet number must match the figure drawn specially to decide the jackpot.

The jackpot for today's draw stood at Bt64.39 million.

Meanwhile, a variety of commemorative items associated with the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne have also been selling rapidly. Commemorative Bt60 banknotes and coins launched to mark the occasion are among the best-selling collectors' items. People have also been forming long queues to acquire stamps and yellow shirts featuring the Royal Emblem, while bookstands have been inundated with requests for newspapers featuring pictures of His Majesty and the celebrations to keep as souvenirs.