A lottery winner in Phimai has bought a gold necklace for a gecko that he found by chance and brought home less than two weeks ago in the belief that it would bring him luck.

Jane Chantakui, a 42-year-old construction worker, was working at a customer's house on May 20 when he saw a two-tailed gecko nearby. He thought it was a good omen. Mr Jane took the animal home to keep it as a pet.

"At that time I believed there was something auspicious about meeting this gecko and felt that it might bring good luck and fortune to my family. So I decided to take it home and raise it for good luck," Mr Jane said.

On Saturday Mr Jane won 28,000 baht from the government lottery's final two-digit prize. He had bought 14 lottery tickets with the prize for the winning two digits, 42, at 2,000 baht per ticket.

Crediting the gecko for his lottery win, Mr Jane went to a gold shop and bought a small necklace weighing 25-satang weight of gold, worth about 5,100 baht, as a gift for his "lucky pet".

"I bought 42 because it's my age. Winning the lottery made me really think that the gecko brought me luck. I will look after it as best as I can and hope it gives me luck again in the next lottery," he said.