Indians Are Playing For Billions of Dollars From Their Homes

Lotteries have been around for quite a long time. And it has been a dream of every individual to win a lottery, at least once in their lifetime. The thought of winning a big prize itself is a driver for many individuals to buy lottery tickets regularly. Many countries have legalized lotteries with each state and region having their own lotteries. But there are also lotteries like the MegaMillions, Powerball and EuroMillions that are played across states and countries, offering huge potential winnings.

The lottery was outlawed in India under British law in 1867. Since then, there have been no changes in the original law. But there were instances where there were illegal and unlicensed operators running lotteries. Kerala was the first state to legalize lotteries, starting in 1967 as the first official Indian lottery. Under a Supreme court order of 2015, each state was given jurisdiction over whether to allow lotteries in their respective states or not. As of now, there are only 13 states in India that have legalized lotteries.

We all must have heard about big lottery winners from India. Like Porunnan Raju, a rubber tapper from Kerala who won a whopping 12 crore as a jackpot. He was actually on his way to the bank to get a fourth loan when he decided to buy the lottery ticket, so the jackpot really helped him get out of neck-deep debt. Or doctor Kriti Ashok Patel from Mumbai, who had casually bought a lottery ticket one evening out of compassion for an elderly ticket and won an 8 crore lottery. Then there is the story of RP Manoharan, who won lotteries for three consecutive years! His friends would even ask him to pick out lottery tickets for them, hoping his good luck would give them a higher chance to win as well.

It is natural that the residents of states where betting is still considered illegal felt left out, and deprived of a chance to potentially win big. But now, with the introduction of online lottery sites, everyone has a chance to potentially win a huge amount. Online lotteries operate in a grey area, as there is no law or act specifically banning the sale of lotteries in India. Also, many of these sites are based outside India, exempting them from the purview of Indian laws. Many sites offer lottery tickets in India online, being played in different states across India.

International lotteries like Powerball, MegaMillions, and El Gordo are now available across websites, and Indian customers can buy them, as these lotteries are allowed to sell their tickets online. All these lotteries promise huge jackpots, a lot bigger than any Indian jackpot.

As the tickets are sold online, any Indian, irrespective of whether their state allows lotteries or not, can buy them, giving them a chance to potentially win millions or even billions of dollars. The highest amount ever won in a lottery was in a Powerball draw, offering 1.586 billion dollars, to be split between three winning tickets. While a solo winner won a MegaMillions jackpot of 1.537 billion dollars.

Such huge amounts are life-changing, even when you factor in the taxes and transaction fees.

Online lotteries employ local agents in the countries where these lotteries are played from and buy tickets on behalf of their customers in India. When someone wins a lottery, the individual is eligible for the entire amount of winnings, after the taxes. The online lottery agent does not charge a Commission, but a transaction fee for the transfer of winnings. The amount may be subject to local taxes applicable in India.

Another way of making big bucks online is by playing online casinos. Like lotteries, online casinos too operate in a grey area of the law. But nonetheless, they offer a variety of casino games like poker, blackjack, roulette, etc. for the players to choose from. Players can deposit money via a variety of gateways, and start playing immediately. Cashing out too is equally easy, by transferring the winnings to the account or e-wallets of their choice.

Whatever the game, the introduction of online lotteries and casinos have provided Indians a shot at making big winnings from the comfort of their homes.