The Karantaka State Lottery Retailers’ Association has urged the government to reintroduce the State lottery considering the welfare of its members, as they had lost the means of livelihood ever since the lottery scheme was banned in 2007.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, president of the Karantaka State Lottery Retailers’ Association C. Ramakrishna said that he had travelled across the State with an intention to bring all the lottery retailers under the banner of the association so that they could put pressure on the government to hear their grievance seriously and initiate measures to reintroduce the lottery.
“According to an estimate, there are about eight lakh lottery retailers in the State. They used to get commissions on the sale of lotteries till 2007. After enforcing the ban, the then government had promised that the retailers would be provide with an alternative source of income. However, nothing has been done in this direction and we have been suffering without a means of livelihood for the past seven years,” he said.
The State government decided to ban all lotteries following complaints of some ill-effects of on-line lotteries and lotteries from other States.
Adverse impact“The State government allowed outside lotteries and invited trouble. Finally, the government banned all types of lotteries. However, we are the worst sufferers owing to the ban on lottery as we have been deprived of the means of livelihood,” he said.
Mr. Ramakrishna said that the association would hold a convention at Bengaluru in January 2015 to put pressure on the government to reintroduce lottery.
“Neighbouring State of Kerala has the lottery scheme. The money earned is being utilised for welfare schemes. Similar experiment can be taken up in Karnataka,” he added.