In Puttur, a quiet town in Coastal Karnataka, Kerala government-run lottery tickets are brazenly sold to people despite a blanket ban on the sale of lotteries. The Karnataka government banned the sale of all types of lotteries in 2007 when H.D. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister.
The Hindu found a small paan shop at Manjalpadpu in Bolwar West where tickets were sold openly. The tickets are sold at ₹40. While the first prize is ₹75 lakh, the value of the second prize is ₹10 lakh. The draw date is on Tuesday, April 2.
A shopkeeper, upon being asked how he got the ticket, said he secured it from an agent from Kerala and they give it to retailers. The prize winner can claim the prize amount either directly or by post or through Nationalised Bank/ Scheduled Bank/State Cooperative Bank/District 20 Cooperative Bank. Prize claims up to and including ₹1 lakh will be sanctioned by the District Lottery Officer, he said. Prize claims above rupees ₹1 lakh and up to and including ₹20 lakh will be sanctioned by the Deputy Director of Lotteries.
He added that the Kerala government settles claims even if the place of residence is Karnataka or anywhere in India.
After it was brought to the notice of the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police, C.B. Ryshyanth, he said one had been detained in connection with the case. “After this was brought to my notice, we booked a case and detained the person who was selling lottery tickets in Puttur. The police will further take action in the future to stop this practice in this town.”
