The sales of Kerala Lottery’s Pooja Bumper tickets have witnessed an unusual and significant drop in recent times

Kanhangad: Sales of Kerala Lottery’s bumper tickets have dropped to a level not seen in recent years. The Pooja Bumper tickets have not sold as expected this time. With just two weeks left for the draw, only 26 lakh tickets have been sold so far. Last year, out of 45 lakh printed tickets, 39 lakh were sold. Even when comparing the sales data from two weeks before last year’s draw, more than 32 lakh tickets had already been sold.

The first prize of the ₹300 Pooja Bumper ticket is ₹12 crore. This year, the Pooja Bumper was released only after Navarathri and Vijayadashami. Due to the postponement of the Onam Bumper draw, the distribution of Pooja Bumper tickets was delayed.

After the GST hike, both agency commission and prize commission were significantly reduced, directly affecting the daily income of lottery workers. Amid these challenges, the bumper ticket sales have also failed to meet expectations. Although the Finance Minister had assured that the commission cuts would be rectified, the promise has not yet been implemented.

Although the lottery department has been distributing tickets in full, daily lottery tickets often remain unsold in the hands of small agents. Until recently, when purchasing from wholesalers, small agents earned a commission of ₹7.35 for each ₹50 ticket. After the GST hike came into effect, this amount has dropped to ₹6.35.

Similarly, if a sold ticket wins ₹5,000, the prize commission given to the agent has been reduced from ₹570 to ₹450.