Thiruvonam Bumper lottery draw today; sales fall short with over 8.5 lakh tickets left

Kanhangad: Expectations for record sales of Kerala's Thiruvonam bumper lottery have not been met this year. Instead of breaking previous records, ticket sales have massively lagged behind last year's numbers.

Out of 80 lakh tickets printed, only 71,28,218 have been sold, leaving over 8,50,000 tickets still available as of Wednesday morning, the day of the draw. Last year, sales reached 75,76,096 tickets, showing a clear decline this time around. The price for one ticket is Rs 500.

The Thiruvonam bumper lottery with the first prize of Rs 25 crore was introduced in 2022. In its first year, 67.5 lakh tickets were sold, and sales increased 8 lakh more the following year. This year, an additional 10 lakh tickets were expected to be sold, building on the upward trend in the initial days.

Typically, most ticket sales occur in the last ten days before the draw. However, heavy rainfall in several districts hindered agents from selling tickets, making it difficult for them to reach customers. The impact of the Wayanad landslide disaster has also weakened sales during the festive Onam season.

The draw will take place on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 pm.