Lottery sales drop by 10 lakh tickets as migrant workers leave Kerala
Thrissur: The return of migrant workers to their home states has dealt a blow not only to the construction and hospitality sectors but also to Kerala's lottery industry. Daily lottery ticket sales have fallen by an estimated 5 lakh to 10 lakh tickets. Traders say the decline has been aggravated by recent reductions in prize payouts.
The decline in sales has become severe over the past two months. Earlier, around 1.08 crore tickets were sold every day, with the entire printed stock usually getting sold out. Lottery vendors note that migrant workers were among the most enthusiastic buyers. Groups of three or four workers would often buy four or five tickets each, and many preferred purchasing tickets with the same number series together.
| Date | Lottery Name | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| May 24 | Samrudhi | 618625 |
| May 25 | Bhagyathara | 725525 |
| May 26 | Sthree Sakthi | 703200 |
| May 27 | Dhanalekshmi | 716200 |
| May 28 | Karunya Plus | 1014475 |
| May 29 | Suvarna Keralam | 895950 |
| May 31 | Samrudhi | 1088300 |
| June 1 | Bhagyathara | 865800 |
| June 2 | Sthree Sakthi | 662200 |
| June 3 | Dhanalekshmi | 587425 |
Fears of further decline
People in the sector fear that ticket sales could fall even further, with the daily drop reaching 15 lakh tickets.
Under reforms introduced on May 2, 2025, ticket prices were increased and prizes below ₹5,000 were significantly reduced. Since the first prize was raised from ₹60–80 lakh to ₹1 crore, the changes did not initially affect sales much. However, vendors now say that the reduction in smaller prizes has begun to seriously impact demand.
The lottery sector supports around 2 lakh sellers, 20,000 sub-agents, and 10,000 agents across the state.