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Government Lotteries: Rajasthan’s vegetable seller Amit Sehra is in the headlines these days. Amit has won a big prize of Rs 11 crore in the Punjab Government lottery. Ever since Amit won the lottery, people are curious to know whether lottery is legal in the country? In which states do lotteries run and why does not every state organize it? Today we will give you answers to these questions.
The Lottery Regulation Act (1998) prohibits lotteries in the country. But, an exemption has been given to the state governments in this Act. Under this, if state governments wish, they can organize lotteries with certain terms and conditions. For this reason some states operate lotteries.
Most of the states in the country have banned lottery in view of its social ill effects. At the same time, state governments in Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram operate lotteries and give people the opportunity to try their luck through a safe and transparent medium.
Lottery is legal in Punjab and is operated by the government. Punjab State Lotteries runs various schemes like Daily, Monthly and Bumper. Punjab State Lotteries’ Lohri Bumper, Holi Bumper, Baisakhi Bumper, Diwali Bumper and New Year Bumper are very popular as they offer prizes up to Rs 11 crore. (Symbolic picture: AI)
Goa State Lottery is one of the oldest, transparent and legal government lottery systems in the country. It is operated by the Goa State Lotteries Directorate. Many types of lotteries are held in Goa on daily, weekly and monthly basis. The first prize in daily draws is up to Rs 25 lakh, in monthly draws up to Rs 50 lakh and in bumper lotteries up to Rs 5 crore.
Kerala State Lottery is the first government lottery in the country, which was started by the Government of Kerala in the year 1967. Daily, weekly, monthly and bumper lotteries are held in Kerala. Win-Win Lottery, Stree Shakti Lottery, Akshaya Lottery and Karunya Plus Lottery are quite famous. The first prize of Kerala’s most famous Onam Bumper lottery ranges from ₹10 crore to ₹25 crore.
Government lottery started in Maharashtra in 1969. Its objective was to save people from scams like illegal lottery and Matka. Today Maharashtra government conducts daily, weekly and bumper lotteries. Among these, Ganpati Lottery, Mahaweekly Lottery, Abhinav Lottery and Diwali Bumper Lottery are the most popular. The first prize in the weekly lottery usually ranges between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The prize money reaches Rs 10 crore in Diwali bumper and Gudhi Padwa bumper.
Mizoram State Lottery is the most popular lottery in North-East India. The specialty of Mizoram State Lottery is that its tickets are easily available not only in the state but also in other parts of the country. The first prize in the weekly draws of Mizoram State Lottery often ranges from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. In a special bumper lottery, this prize can reach Rs 1 crore or more. (Symbolic photo: AI)
Arunachal Pradesh also conducts government lottery. The lottery here is known as Singham Lottery and is in great demand in the neighboring states also. The first prize in daily and weekly lotteries usually ranges between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Whereas in bumper lottery, the prize can increase to Rs 1 crore or more. (Symbolic photo: AI)
Nagaland started state lottery in 1972. Nagaland government conducts three draws daily, morning, day and evening. The first prize of the daily draw is Rs 1 crore. Dear Puja Bumper, Dear Diwali Bumper and Dear New Year Bumper of Nagaland are very popular because they offer prizes worth crores of rupees. (Symbolic photo: AI)
The Government of Sikkim conducts a total of 24 lottery draws, 8 paper lotteries and 16 online lotteries. Here also the daily lottery opens three times, morning, afternoon and evening. Dear Cherry Morning, Dear Pagoda Day, Dear Orchid Evening, New Year Bumper, Summer Bumper and Winter Bumper are the popular lotteries of Sikkim. The maximum prize in daily lottery is Rs 1 crore and in bumper lottery it is Rs 5 crore. (Symbolic photo: AI)
