THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Good news for fortune seekers! Come this Onam, and the state will run the biggest jackpot in its history. The winner will take home Rs 25 crore, arguably the biggest prize on a single ticket in the country. There will be a second prize of Rs 5 crore and 10 third prizes of Rs 1 crore each.
On Monday, the state lotteries department got the government nod for the Onam Bumper Lottery 2022, which will give away a total prize money of Rs 126 crore. Onam Bumper — the biggest lottery run by the department — has been offering Rs 12 crore as the first prize since 2019.
This year, the ticket price too will go up, from last year’s Rs 300 to Rs 500. The ticket sales will begin on July 18, and the draw is scheduled for September 18. The first prize winner’s net earning — after deducting the agent’s commission and advance I-T payment — will be Rs 15.75 crore.
Sources said this year’s prize structure is beyond comparison with the previous editions in many aspects. The total number of prizes is around four lakh, a two-fold increase from last year. Also, the total prize money offered will increase by Rs 72 crore from last year. There will be 10 third prizes this year, against six in 2021.
The agent who sells the first prize-winning ticket will get Rs 2.50 crore in commission. Sources said the jackpot will be a relief to the agents and sellers — an estimated two to three lakh people — of Kerala lotteries who faced a tough time during the pandemic.
“Agents, including women and physically-challenged, were affected during the pandemic-forced ban and also the period before sales returned to normal. This year, agents will get Rs 96 in commission on a single ticket as against the previous year’s Rs 58. The department will print 90 lakh tickets this time. Last year, all 54 lakh tickets printed were sold out,” said the source.