A stroke of luck struck a Surin couple when a lottery vendor asked them to buy the last ticket on the stall. They went home to watch the results and cheered after winning the first prize, receiving 6 million baht.
At 16:00 on 1 June 2026 GMT+7, reporters visited a house in Village 8, Nong Yai Subdistrict, Prasat District, Surin Province. It is the home of Mr. Sa-Waeng Pluemjai, 79, and his wife, Mrs. Lin Pluemjai, 69, the lucky grandparents who won the government lottery for the draw dated 1/6/26.
Mrs. Lin told reporters that she was buying items at a village shop when a lottery vendor came over and asked her to help buy the last ticket on the stall. At that time, she only had 50 baht in cash, so she borrowed 100 baht from her younger sister, who owns the shop, to pay for the ticket.
She then went home and gave the ticket to her husband, Mr. Sa-Waeng. Mrs. Lin hadn’t bought a lottery ticket in a long time because she didn’t understand the numbers well. As the draw time approached, the grandparents sat together watching the TV, eagerly awaiting the lottery results.
Mr. Sa-Waeng was nervously checking the numbers on the TV at home. When he realized they had won the lottery, he didn’t immediately tell his wife, fearing she might be shocked. He just smiled to himself. When she came over, he quietly whispered in her ear, “Lin, we’re debt-free now.” She then quickly called their daughter and the village headman, who is their nephew, to confirm the first prize win since they were still overwhelmed.
The ticket number matched the first prize winning number 173770, one ticket worth 6 million baht. Their children and relatives took the grandparents to report the win at Prasat Police Station in Surin as official evidence. The next day, their daughter, Ms. Nantana Pluemjai, 47, planned to take the lottery ticket to the government lottery office to claim the prize.
At the grandparents’ home, relatives and neighbors gathered to tie traditional wristbands for good luck and celebrate warmly with the couple.
Ms. Nantana Pluemjai, their daughter, said that after claiming the prize at the lottery office, part of the money would be used to clear all debts. They also planned to take their parents and family to make merit, while the remainder would be saved for future needs.