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: When Harshavardhan Nawathe became the first crorepati on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) in 2000, he became an instant hit with the Indian masses.

But a few weeks ago when Uppin Kumar, a 60-something hardware merchant from Sangli won Rs 5.68 crore on Playwin’s Super Lotto Jackpot, there was no accompanying media frenzy. Not even a line’s mention, even though Uppin happens to be the 70th such winner and anybody who has ever played Lotto would tell you that its as much a no-brainer as the questions posed on KBC.

Why this bias against lotteries, but not against other games of chance or multimedia products at video parlours that a five-year-old child gets so easily addicted to? Why lotteries remain the most underadvertised gaming product in India?

The answer is simple. Lotteries are a regulated business in India, but unlike other regulated businesses (liquor and tobacco, for instance) the state doesn’t earn as much from lotteries as from liquor and tobacco. The price payout ratio for lotteries is over 90% (on some schemes) so it’s the consumer (and not the state) that gains the most from lottery sales.

“That’s the reason you see surrogate advertising for liquor or tobacco but not for lottery products,” explains Amar Sinha, the CEO of Subhash Chandra (of Zee Entertainment) promoted Pan India Network Infravest, that launched the first online lottery products by the name of Playwin in 2001. Playwin claims 26% of market share in online products, which are nothing but paperless forms of traditional lotteries.

“Put together (paper and paperless), the organised business in lotteries would be around Rs 15,000 crore on the available market size (in 11 states). But it has potential to grow to over Rs 50,000 crore per annum,” states Kamlesh Vijay, CEO, Sugal and Damani Group that claims 35-45% share of the paper lottery business. Club to this the unorganised market—which is the illegal betting market of satta and matka would be Rs 15-20,000 according to Vijay, and it would appear that the stakes are indeed high for lottery players in India. Vijay, however, says the market has been on a steady decline over the past 10 years—from Rs 50,000 in 1998 to Rs 15,000 currently.