CHENNAI: In January 2003, the Tamil Nadu government banned the sale of lotteries, whether online or physical. Twenty-three years since then, hundreds of people in the State are eagerly awaiting the result of the Thiruvonam Bumper lottery carrying a whopping Rs 30 crore as first prize, which is being announced today (September 26).

The Lottery Department of the Keralam government has scheduled the draw at 1.30 pm on Saturday, and results will be announced at 2 pm.

The frenzy over the result was such that the government website where the result is uploaded crashed. Now, a ‘502 bad gateway’ alert is displayed there.

Prizes galore, but what would the winners get?

The first prize is Rs 30 crore. But that is not all. There are 20 second prizes, each Rs 1 crore; Rs 25 lakh for 20 people as the third prize; Rs 5 lakh for 10 people as the fourth prize; and Rs 2 lakh for 10 people as the fifth prize. There are also smaller prizes of Rs 5,000, Rs 2,000, Rs 1,000, and Rs 500.

To be clear, the bumper prize winner won’t receive the full amount. Around 12% will go as agent commission (Rs 3.6 crore), and the remaining amount will attract a tax of Rs 30%. Also, the individual’s personal Income Tax slab will also apply. However, even after the deductions, the winner stands to get more than Rs 18 crore (excluding personal IT).

Onam bumper lottery records brisk business

The sale has been a roaring success, with 89.85 lakh of the 90 lotteries printed being sold. Each ticket costs Rs 500, fetching the government around Rs 450 crore in revenue.

Such is the interest for the prize money that many from Tamil Nadu often head to Keralam to purchase tickets to try their luck. R Vivek, a middle-aged man from Chennai, said he bought five tickets when he went to visit Guruvayoor temple last month.