Lottery Retailers Protest at Bengaluru Press Club to Demand End of Ticket Sale Ban

The Karnataka State Lottery Retailer Association (KSLRA) staged a protest at the Bengaluru Press Club on Thursday, demanding that the state government lift its ban on the sale of lottery tickets. Association members argued that the prohibition has failed to stop illegal ticket sales from neighbouring states, while stripping lakhs of families of their livelihoods and costing the government thousands of crores in lost revenue.

Speaking at the protest, KSLRA President C Ramakrishna stated that despite the ban, lottery tickets from Maharashtra, Kerala, and Goa continue to be sold illegally across Karnataka. He noted that the state government banned all lotteries in 2007, including the legitimate Karnataka State Lottery managed by Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL), instead of targeting only illegal single-digit and online lotteries.

The association highlighted that reintroducing the state-regulated lottery under strict safeguards would provide dignified livelihood opportunities for thousands of senior citizens, women, and transgenders. According to association figures, around 17 lakh families lost their livelihoods after the state banned lottery ticket sales in 2007.

Ramakrishna also pointed to the financial impact of the prohibition, stating that Karnataka loses an estimated Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore in annual revenue. Meanwhile, neighbouring Kerala earns an estimated Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore annually from its lottery sales. Ramakrishna urged Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to appoint a minister for small savings and lottery, arguing that a state-run lottery would be safely managed and printed by the government.

Bhaskar Babu H G, an advocate representing the Karnataka Rajya Chillare Lottery Maratagarara Sangha, added that the group filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court in October 2024. The High Court issued an oral order stating that introducing a lottery is a policy matter entirely at the discretion of the state. Bhaskar Babu stated that he has submitted multiple letters to the government over the years, but authorities have yet to respond.