A young musician from Adakkakundu at Kalikavu in Nilambur recently decided to sell his property through a draw of lots after his efforts to sell it at market rate failed.
Saleesh Khan took the step following a recovery notice from a bank. He printed hundreds of coupons worth ₹2,000 and started selling them with the help of a local people’s collective.
Though the experiment worked well with hundreds purchasing the coupons, he could not complete the exercise as the Lottery department and the police stopped it as raising money through own lottery schemes is a violation of the Lotteries Regulation Act, 1998 and a punishable offence under IPC 294A.
Saleesh was one of the several victims of the pandemic-induced lockdown. In a State where lottery is not just about trying luck but an addiction, the strategy to sell off the property via a draw had many takers.
Jith U.R., an expatriate who lost his job during the pandemic outbreak, started a lottery agency near Illikad in Thrissur after a vegetable shop he started did not do well.
But the lottery agency he started worked well with local people and migrant labourers buying tickets. In addition, the agency margin for winning tickets ensured a steady income. Soon after the shop was launched, around six makeshift shops came upon the stretch. “This has resulted in a drop in my income. However, still it is a dependable income for me as there was no major investment for starting this venture,” says Mr. Jith.
Biju V., an Attingal native and a daily wage earner who used to take lottery tickets for about ₹300-400 a day, says “it is difficult to meet daily expenses with my sole income. I used to win small prizes such as ₹5,000 or ₹1,000 from lottery. Lottery also raised hopes and stakes in my life even though there were weeks without any prizes. But it made my life more engaging and challenging”.
The revenue generated from lottery also underscores the rising tendency of people trying their luck in the process to overcome the pandemic distress. Around 45% growth was recorded in lottery revenue in the last fiscal despite the adverse impact of COVID-19.
P. Thankaraj, a lottery agency owner, says more people are opting lottery sale as a vocation after the pandemic. This is mainly due to the low investment and guaranteed income to sustain one’s life.
Lottery Joint Director Surendran says around 100-150 new persons are enrolling as lottery agents in each district every month. The department, which netted ₹7,144.54 crore in 2021-22, has set a target of ₹8,400 crore this fiscal and there are chances of the revenue reaching ₹10,000 crore, which will be a record, given the sale trends of this fiscal. But the department cannot entertain people running their own lottery schemes as it is against the law, says Mr. Surendran.
