West Bengal Online Lottery

Lottery Laws in West Bengal

There is good news for punters living in West Bengal. The state allows people to participate in both offline and online lotteries. However, there are certain rules and regulations regarding both modes of gambling. Let’s look at what punters should be aware of while partaking in lotteries through online and offline platforms.

Online

Just like the gambling laws enforced by India, there are no specific laws in West Bengal that enforces that online gambling is illegal in the state. It gives the punters a loophole to buy tickets for international lotteries through lotto websites.

The gambling laws in West Bengal declare that no one is allowed to operate a gambling house in the state. However, most online lottery sites are headquartered outside of the country, allowing people to buy tickets to many international lotteries without the fear of breaking the law. Also, these websites are licensed in their respective countries, allowing them to operate in West Bengal or any other state of India.

Some of the popular lottery websites that are available in West Bengal are — Lotto247, Lottoland, Playhugelottos and Lottofy. These websites allow you to bet on the outcome of some of the famous international lotteries like US Powerball, EuroJackpot, MegaMillions, EuroMillions and Mega-Sena. Please note that none of the websites is allowed to sell state lottery tickets online.

Offline

The 13 lottery schemes in West Bengal are organised by the Directorate of State Lotteries, West Bengal. The state follows the laws laid down in the Lottery Regulations Act of 1998 of India and the West Bengal State Lottery Rules of 1968. There are only paper tickets available for the official state lottery draws. These tickets are sold by authorised vendors and are not available online.

The draw events are open to the general public to maintain participant transparency. This removes the scope of any misconduct. Also, the rules and terms and conditions of the draw are mentioned on the tickets. So, if you purchase the official ticket with the state stamp on it, you will get all the information about the draw along with it.

The results of the draws can be seen on the West Bengal Lottery Sambad, which is the official lottery newspaper of the state, or through the YouTube channel. Winners can claim the prize by downloading the claims form and submitting it with all the required documents. Know that the claim must be submitted within 30 days of draws and the prize will be given after the tax deductions.

How To Buy Lottery Tickets Online in West Bengal

West Bengal lottery laws do not prohibit anyone from participating in international lotteries through online lotto websites. However, online selling of state lotteries in West Bengal or any other state is punishable.

As a majority of the population in India now has access to smartphones and a decent internet connection, there is a lot to explore on that front. Many popular lotto websites like Lottoland, Lotto247, theLotter, Jackpot.com and Playhugelottos can be easily opened on mobile betting apps or desktop browsers.

These websites offer draw tickets to many international lotteries like EuroJackpot, EuroMillion, Mega-Sena, US Powerball and more. Follow the below steps to buy a lottery ticket through these platforms.

1. Visit the lotto website of your choice. Register and verify your account.
2. Select the international lottery draw.
3. Select the numbers on the lottery ticket and the draw days.
4. You can also select multiple tickets and multiple draws.
5. Complete the payment and wait for the draw results.

Almost every lottery website offers a “Quick Pick” option to pick random numbers on the ticket. The price per ticket of the above-mentioned international lotteries may vary from platform to platform. It can range from INR 150 to 350. 

How To Buy Lottery Tickets Offline in West Bengal

West Bengal organises 6 annual schemes and 7 weekly draws. The annual schemes include draws like New Year Bumper organised in January, Holi Bumper organised in March, Nababarsha Bumper in March or April, Rathayatra Bumper in July, Puja Bumper and Diwali Bumper that is organised between September to November. Tickets for these draws cost INR 20.

The weekly draws are organised from Monday to Sunday. These include Banga Lakshmi Teesta, Torsha and Raidak which happen on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday respectively and cost INR 2 each. On Thursday and Friday, they have Bangabhumi Bhagirathi Super Draw and Bangabhumi Ajay Super Draw which cost INR 5 each. Bangasree Damodar Super Draw and Bangasree Ichamati Super Draw are weekend lotteries that cost INR 10 each. 

To buy tickets to these draws, punters have to visit the delegated vendors that are authorised by the distributor of the lotteries in West Bengal, the West Bengal Lottery Stockists Syndicate Pvt. Ltd. 

At present, the West Bengal lotteries have been put on hold and there are no official draws taking place. There is no further information on when it will resume. However, West Bengal citizens are allowed to purchase Nagaland State lotteries. 

Bottom Line

If you are living in West Bengal and wish to participate in lotteries you will be happy to know that you have plenty of options. The state has relatively liberal laws when it comes to both online and offline lotteries.

Moreover, there are multiple options on both platforms as well. Just make sure that you choose a regulated platform to prevent any mishappening.