Punjab government bans sale of online lottery schemes to check illegal sales

To check illegal lottery sales in the guise of online lottery, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday decided to ban the sale of all types of online lottery schemes in the state.

The ban on 'Online Lottery Schemes', under section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998, would not only check the spread of illegal lottery business, which was proliferating under the guise of online lotteries but also give a boost to the state's tax and non-tax revenue, said an official spokesperson after a meeting of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet also gave approval to prohibition of the sale of computerised and online lotteries marketed and operated through vending machines, terminals and electronic machines, as well as online scheme tickets sold, organised, conducted or promoted through the internet by any State within the Indian territory or by a foreign country.

The Punjab Government is of the firm view that in order to conduct the draws of paper lottery scheme properly and enhance the state's revenue on this account, the online lottery schemes draws must be completely banned.

The Directorate of Lotteries has been asked to liaise with the police authorities to curb the illegal lotteries in the state of Punjab, and ADGP Law and Order has been appointed as nodal officer to initiate action against these illegal lotteries.