When Lottery was a lucrative business in Kashmir!
Believe it or not, the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir once had a full-fledged Department of Lotteries, headed by the Director of Lotteries. Under the seal and signature of the Director, the department used to issue numerous lottery schemes annually, luring not just the State Subjects but also people from other parts of India.
According to records available with Kashmir Rechords (www.kashmir-rechords.com), the lottery system was operational in the Princely State even before the partition of the Sub-Continent. Lottery sellers legally operated mainly from commercial areas like Raghunath Bazar in Jammu, Court Road in Srinagar, and the Maisuma locality of Srinagar. They even had outlets in New Delhi and Calcutta (now Kolkata). Kashmir Rechords from its archives is making public two such advertisements issued by the Director of Lotteries in 1970 and 1971. The cost of a lottery ticket at that time was just one rupee!
However, this lottery system soon turned into a significant menace for the people of the State. The government had to step in, introducing a law that made selling lottery tickets illegal under the Public Gambling Act No. 18 of 1977. By then, the lottery business in Jammu and Kashmir was estimated to be worth around Rs one crore per month, with Rs 10 lakh given as prize money. The remaining Rs 90 lakh was pocketed by those running the business, leaving many people, especially those with limited earnings, financially devastated.
Today, lotteries and gambling remain matters of State discretion, with no national ban. However, most States and Union Territories, including J&K, have banned them.
Interestingly, a significant lottery racket surfaced in Jammu and Kashmir in 1971, reaching such serious proportions that the issue was raised in Parliament. On November 24, 1971, three Parliamentarians (Question Number 1434) prompted the then Union Minister of State for Home to address the matter.
This glimpse into the past reveals a fascinating yet tumultuous chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting the impact of State-run lotteries on the socio-economic fabric of the region.
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A silent racket that prevailed.
There was an acquaintance of ours who was a student during 1969 and had purchased a lottery in the name of his mother. The sum was gratifying and the lottery fetched one thousand rupees! a great sum those days. For that to get cashed he had to move to Jammu the winter capital where apart from getting his credentials verified he had to look for those who somehow knew him in the civil Secretariat.
Finally he was successful and when he reached home after a day or two the whole town looked at him with awe. News of his mother having won the lottery had spread like wild fire.
So simple and joyous was life.! Much water has indeed flown into the Ganga.