Lottery ban in K'taka - saviour for some, trouble for others

Mysore, Apr 1 (UNI) The Karnataka Government's ban on the sale of lotteries, with effect from today, has dished out sweet news to the women folk, while administering a bitter pill to the lakhs of people involved in the trade.

The womenfolk, who had for long suffered because of their men's addiction and weakness to make a fast buck, heaved a sigh of relief that the Government had finally understood the consequences of the menace on lakhs of families.

But, on the flip side, the ban on the sale of lotteries in the State, as announced by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in the State budget, had made miserable, the lives of over ten lakh people and their family members, for whom the lottery business fetched their daily meals.

Mysore District Lottery Business Association President H B Ranganath told UNI here that more than 1.5 lakh lottery shops and agencies had been in the business for many years. Besides, the system had indirectly helped over ten lakh people and their family members, engaged in the sale of lottery tickets. Now, all of them have been left to fend for themselves.

The state had recorded a daily turnover of about Rs 30 to Rs 40 crore through the sale of lottery tickets, cashing in on the addiction of people. In Mysore district alone, Rs two crore worth business was done every day.

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