New Delhi: Former Union Cabinet Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur has written to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, urging the state government to immediately withdraw its tender for reintroducing state-run lotteries in Himachal Pradesh.
In his letter, Thakur strongly opposed Finance Department e-tender 2026_DTAL_141511_1, issued for the appointment of a sole selling agent for an online and offline lottery system. He urged the government to abandon the proposal, arguing that the revival of lotteries could have serious social and financial consequences for the people of the state.
Thakur highlighted what he described as a rare political consensus against lotteries that has existed in Himachal Pradesh for more than two decades. He recalled that the government led by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal imposed a ban on lotteries in 1999 after witnessing their impact on employees, pensioners, labourers and youth.
According to Thakur, when lotteries were reintroduced in the state, the Congress government led by the late Virbhadra Singh again imposed a ban in 2007. He said successive governments led by Virbhadra Singh, Prem Kumar Dhumal and Jai Ram Thakur maintained the prohibition despite financial pressures on the state.
Thakur said the continued ban was not merely a political decision but was based on the experience of Himachal’s people and the social consequences associated with lottery gambling.
Warning against the proposed revival, he said families in the state had previously suffered financial distress after losing salaries, savings and pensions to lottery gambling. He expressed particular concern over the proposed online lottery system, which, according to the tender, could involve up to 12 draws every day along with three annual bumper draws.
He argued that an online system could take lottery gambling directly into people’s homes and smartphones, potentially making it more accessible to lower- and middle-income families.
Thakur also invoked the constitutional principles of public welfare, pointing to Articles 38 and 47 of the Constitution and arguing that the state has a responsibility to promote the welfare of citizens and protect them from harmful practices.
On Himachal Pradesh’s financial situation, Thakur said the state’s debt had reached Rs 1,10,010 crore in 2026, with the debt-to-GSDP ratio exceeding 42 per cent. He argued that lotteries would not provide a meaningful solution to the state’s fiscal challenges.
According to Thakur, the proposed lottery system is expected to generate only around Rs 100 crore annually. He cited the experience of Kerala to argue that high gross lottery sales do not necessarily translate into equivalent net revenue after accounting for prize payouts, commissions, advertising and administrative expenses.
Instead of relying on lotteries, Thakur suggested that the state focus on fiscal and revenue reforms. He particularly recommended strengthening GST compliance and digital integration, which he said could potentially generate an additional Rs 250-350 crore annually, based on independent estimates.
Thakur urged Chief Minister Sukhu to annul the lottery tender and pursue alternative measures to strengthen the state’s finances without imposing what he described as social costs on the people.
He said Himachal Pradesh’s long-standing political consensus against lotteries should be protected and called for sustainable and responsible fiscal reforms to address the state’s financial challenges.
