It was the first time Sutin and Puangkaew Nuanjan had ever bought a ticket in the national lottery – and it was a winner that netted them B24 million.
They told The Phuket News, “We went to the Wednesday market in Rawai and when we saw a lottery vendor we decided to try our luck.”
They asked for two tickets with the numbers 8240 in it – the registration number of their car is Bor Jor 8240, but the closest the vendor could offer was 662842. Close enough – that number was the big winner.
Mr Sutin said he was at a party with friends when he learned about their win. He walked out quietly, he said, then ran to find his wife to give her a big hug. “We were both crying and laughing at the same time,” he said.
It’s too early to make plans for what to do with the money, the couple said, though they have already decided that they will share it with their four daughters, aged 26, 24, 21 and 14.
Whatever the final number, it could not have come at a better time: Mr Sutin, 46, was laid off from the Royal Phuket Yacht Club two months ago. Mrs Puangkaew, 39, is a teacher’s assistant at Wat Sawang Arom School.
The excitement is not yet over. The couple bought two tickets with the winning number, and say the vendor had at least three more with the same number. More celebration can be expected in Rawai in coming days.
The Phuket News understands that one of these was a construction worker from Isan, who has already collected his money and gone home to a life of ease.