Lottery ticket sale in India: There are very few states in India where lotteries are run, legally. According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Section 4 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998 allows a State Government to conduct or promote a lottery subject to certain specified conditions.
“As per section 4 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, a State Government may organise, conduct or promote a lottery, subject to the conditions specified therein. Accordingly, lotteries are being run by 09 States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and West Bengal,” Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (March 14).
List of states where lotteries are run by the Govt
Lotteries are currently being run by the respective Governments of the following 9 states:
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Goa
- Kerala
- Maharashtra
- Mizoram
- Nagaland
- Punjab
- Sikkim
- West Bengal
Lottery Regulation Rules
The Government had framed Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010 have been framed under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 for regulation of lotteries.
In 2011, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued directions under Section 10 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998 saying that it was the responsibility of the State Governments to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 and the Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010 in letter and spirit.
In 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued directions to all lottery-running states to have their software/hardware used for online lottery certified by Standardization, Testing and Quality Certification Directorate (STQC) to ensure the integrity of the hardware/software used for the operation of online lottery.
Further, instructions were issued in 2019 to all lottery running States that lottery combining features of online and paper lotteries is not in accordance with the Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010 and therefore, the same be stopped forthwith in the case already launched by any of the lottery-organizing State Governments.
In a written statement in the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2022, the Minister said that complaints regarding the selling of paper lottery through websites/mobile apps were referred to State Governments of Punjab, Sikkim and Nagaland.
“Government of Punjab has informed that they have already prohibited the sale of computerised and online lotteries and not authorized any distributor to sell the lottery tickets in online mode. Government of Sikkim has informed that the State is not aware of the selling of paper lottery ticket through either websites or Whatsapp application on mobile,” the minister had said.
“Government of Nagaland has informed that the State Government has neither given any permission to its distributor for sale of paper lotteries through online mode nor the distributor of Nagaland State lotteries have sold/are selling the tickets through websites accepting payment online and through Whatsapp application on mobile,” he added.