Bengaluru: Karnataka State Lottery Retailers’ Association Thursday alleged that the state is missing out on around Rs 5,000-6,000 crore annually in revenue because of its ban on lottery ticket sales.Based on seizures by police and through surveys, the association pointed out that lottery tickets from Kerala where their sale is legal have significantly penetrated the Karnataka market.It urged govt to immediately curb the illegal sale of Kerala lottery tickets in Karnataka and reintroduce a legally-regulated lottery scheme. “Kerala lottery tickets are being sold illegally in Karnataka, with transactions worth hundreds of crores of rupees taking place every day. The govt should take immediate action to stop their illegal sale,” said C Ramakrishna, the association president.“If the Karnataka govt revives a legally regulated state lottery, it could generate an estimated Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in annual revenue for the state exchequer. It should revive the dedicated lottery department, similar to the one that existed earlier, to regulate and administer lottery operations.”Lottery sales were legal in Karnataka till 2007 and were banned by the state govt citing the menace of single-digit lotteries. The association pointed out that the ban had deprived nearly 10,000-12,000 families that previously held licences through MSIL (Mysore Sales International Limited) of their livelihood.
