Recently, social media has been abuzz after the page "Plaocooking" posted about winning the government lottery with multiple two-digit ending numbers, receiving tens of thousands of baht at once, prompting widespread sharing. The winner revealed it was the result of five years of waiting.
This has led many people to immediately question themselves whether the money spent on lottery tickets every draw is really worthwhile.
Every time "lottery day" arrives, many eagerly spend money hoping, "This time it must be the one." But if we pause and seriously consider, could the total money spent on lottery tickets over the past five years have been put to better use generating returns?
Thairath Money conducted a simple simulation to clearly show the difference in outcomes between "gambling" and "investing" when using the same amount of money.
Consider a hypothetical scenario of buying government lottery tickets consistently for five years, purchasing 30 tickets per draw (80 baht each), equating to 4,800 baht per month and a total investment of 288,000 baht over five years.
Naturally, lottery purchases sometimes yield winnings. Suppose within these five years, you won the two-digit ending prize once (all 30 tickets in that set), receiving 60,000 baht in prize money. Total investment is 288,000 baht, total winnings 60,000 baht.
Ultimately, this results in a loss of 228,000 baht. Nearly three hundred thousand baht is almost entirely lost. Thus, buying lottery tickets is more akin to "spending for entertainment" rather than an investment that grows wealth.
Meanwhile, imagine instead of buying lottery tickets, you saved and invested the same 4,800 baht monthly in dividend stocks yielding an average of 7% annually—an achievable rate in the stock market.
Doing this continuously for five years, with the same total investment of 288,000 baht, the results after five years would be markedly different as the investment grows.
If dividends are reinvested (compound interest) and stock value increases, the portfolio value would rise from 288,000 baht to approximately 354,429 baht, representing an investment profit of about 66,429 baht.
The clear difference is
It is evident that investing in dividend stocks is more worthwhile in terms of wealth building. Although winning the first prize would create instant wealth, the chances are extremely low (1 in a million).
Conversely, investing in dividend stocks builds wealth slowly but steadily and sustainably, providing continuous dividend cash flow while preserving and potentially growing the principal.
Of course, all investments carry risks, and past returns do not guarantee future results. However, the greatest risk is not market volatility but failing to start financial planning at all.
It's time to shift from being a "gambler" relying on luck to becoming an "investor" who actively builds wealth and a better financial future. Starting today, even small amounts can create more sustainable results than hoping for luck.
Note: Investment return calculations assume the time value of money, with compound interest applied once annually at the beginning of the year, a minimum holding period of one year per stock purchase, and a fixed annual interest rate based on a 12-month year (or 52 weeks/365 days).
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