Andhra Pradesh is the 7th largest state in India in terms of size, and the 10th most populous state. Residents of the state are known to have indulged in betting and gambling considerably even though it is illegal. But what about the lottery? Is online lottery legal in Andhra Pradesh?
Read on.
Is online lottery legal in Andhra Pradesh?
While all types of private and state-sponsored lotteries are banned in Andhra Pradesh. However, when it comes to online lotteries, there is a grey area in the law, and people can access international lottery sites. The state government has however recently brought in a law to ban more than 100 websites and apps related to online gaming, gambling, and betting.
Lotteries in India
When India got independence in the year 1947, there were no state-sponsored lotteries in the country. Many private operators filled in this void by selling their own tickets and conducting their own draws. However, such draws were often not conducted in a transparent manner and were rife with corruption and antisocial activities.
Kerala became the first state in India to ban all private lotteries and started a state-sponsored lottery in the year 1967. This was done in order to better regulate the industry, make the lotteries fair and transparent, and also earn revenues related to ticket sales.
Since then, 13 states have now legal, state-sponsored lottery draws.
Online lotteries
Is online lottery legal in Andhra Pradesh? Lottery sites like Lottoland and Lottosmile allow Indian players to participate in lottery draws being held around the world, like Powerball and Mega Millions. While some websites buy tickets on your behalf through their local agents in those particular countries, some websites allow you to bet on the results of such lotteries. In any case, the prize that you receive is the same as announced during the draw.