Can I Play the
MEGHALAYA STATE LOTTERY ONLINE?
The Meghalaya State Lottery is one of the 13 government lotteries in India that have been legalized. However, it is only a paper lottery. Neither the tickets can be purchased nor the game played online. Additionally, all schemes in the State have been inactive since 2007.
In other words, if you are looking to play online lottery in Meghalaya, you need to play international lottos instead. To make your search easier, we have recommended the best online lottery sites that offer these exciting alternatives. Check the list below.
Top 3 Sites to Play Online Lottery from Meghalaya
An Overview of the Indian State Lottery of Meghalaya
As permitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on 2nd April 1982, the Indian State Lottery of Meghalaya is conducted by a dedicated lottery department set up within the State.
All approved schemes are aimed at generating employment as well as revenue for Meghalaya. Income, thus generated, is utilized in promoting various developmental works within the State, including those for education, sports, healthcare, eradication of poverty, women empowerment, and more.
However, despite legalizing the lottery, Meghalaya has not conducted a single draw since 2007. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that although the lottery is not illegal in the State, it is currently not active either.
There is no information regarding the schemes, draw hours, ticket prices, prize tiers, prize value, and other details typical of Indian Government lotteries. If you come across any third-party website that talks about the schemes and publishes Meghalaya State lottery results, know that it is only a scam.
The same has been confirmed by David Sangma – the Director of State Lottery after a recent probe, which brought to the limelight several websites and even a YouTube channel that have been regularly posting updates about the latest Meghalaya lottery result of draws that don’t exist.
A police complaint has been lodged against such activities and clarification published on Meghalaya Monitor. Watch this space for further updates.
So, does this mean players in Meghalaya cannot try their luck in lotteries? Absolutely not! World lottos are always available for play from every nook and corner of the State. All you need is access to the internet and faith in luck.
By the way, did you know Meghalaya also organizes the country's only archery-based government lottery game? To know more, read our article on Shillong Teer.
International Lotteries – Best Online Alternatives to the Meghalaya Lottery
We have listed below 3 of the best online alternatives to the Meghalaya Lottery that are legal and safe:
Min jackpot: ₹150 Crores
Record win: ₹16,500 Crores
Min jackpot: ₹139 Crores
Record win: ₹1847 Crores
Min jackpot: ₹9 Crores
Record win: ₹128 Crores
Min jackpot: ₹17 Crores
Record win: ₹255 Crores
How to Buy a Lottery Ticket in Meghalaya?
Following are the two legal ways to buy a lottery ticket in Meghalaya:
Offline
If and when the lottery in Meghalaya is resumed, you would be able to buy tickets offline directly from the State Lottery Department or authorized sellers. To make a purchase, you would have to visit the seller in person and make the payment upfront.
Please note that The Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998 does not permit the sale of paper tickets on third-party websites, even if they are owned by legit ticket sellers. You must always be physically present to purchase your tickets.
Once you buy a ticket, write down your name and address to mark your ownership. This would be your proof of purchase so no one else can call dibs on the prize if a win is registered. Furthermore, remember to store your ticket in a safe place so you don’t lose it. Winnings aren’t paid out for lost or damaged tickets.
Online
Since paper lotteries are yet to resume in Meghalaya, let’s focus on how to buy lotto tickets online instead. If you play international lotteries, you would know lottery sites either let you purchase official tickets or bet on the outcome of a draw.
Either way, you would be buying your entry into playing the lotteries directly or indirectly and standing a chance to win the same prizes, whatsoever. This is how you can do it in 7 easy steps:
- Register with a lottery site we recommend.
- Choose a world lottery to play.
- Select the date of draw and lines.
- Add the ticket(s) to your cart.
- Proceed to checkout.
- Confirm your payment.
- Get notified about the purchase via email.
Isn’t buying tickets to international lotteries online from Meghalaya easier than buying paper tickets to the State lottery? Think about it.
Which Is Better: Meghalaya Govt Lottery or International Lottery?
Going by the other existing government lotteries, the Meghalaya Government Lottery would run multiple daily, weekly, monthly, or annual schemes if it were active. Tickets would have sold for dirt cheap rates and top prizes would have been paid out in lakhs.
However, international lotteries would outdo Meghalaya lotteries any day. Firstly, even if the tickets cost more, the prizes would be bigger. For instance, the US Powerball's minimum advertised jackpot is $20 million (₹150 Crore), which is way more than what a govt lottery draw in Meghalaya would possibly offer.
In the previous section, we discussed how buying tickets to international lotteries is more convenient than buying a paper lottery ticket in Meghalaya. Now add to it the ease of claiming winnings.
The procedure of claiming a prize won off a government lottery draw in India is lengthy and tedious. The verification procedure is such that you must always produce the winning ticket intact to receive your prize. Lost or mutilated tickets aren’t considered for payout.
This isn’t a problem with international lotteries where you either get a digital copy of the ticket or a confirmation of your purchase emailed to you. There is no stress of guarding it or fear of losing it. The verification process is straightforward and rewards are paid out almost immediately.
Furthermore, the Meghalaya lottery is susceptible to scams, especially now that it is dormant. Fake websites, ticket sellers, and tickets make matters worse. This issue isn't present in online lotteries when you play them via legit sites.
You can also pick numbers of your own choice, which makes the lotteries more exciting to play. Can you do that while buying a paper ticket in Meghalaya? No, because all the numbers would be pre-printed.
The Lottery Law in Meghalaya
The State Government of Meghalaya is free to conduct and organize lotteries under the provisions laid down in the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998 and Lotteries (Regulation) Rules 2010. The State must follow these rules while running lotteries of any nature:
- No lottery of any form must be organized by any authority other than those distributors, marketing agents, and selling agents appointed by the State Government.
- Only up to 24 draws shall be organized per day except for bumper draws.
- Only up to 6 bumper draws shall be organized in a calendar year.
- Paper tickets to all draws must be printed by the State Government itself at a Government Press or any other high-security press, including the RBI or the Indian Banks’ Association, Mumbai.
- Lottery draws would not be conducted on the following National Holidays: 26th January (Republic Day), 15th August (Independence Day), and 2nd October (Gandhi Jayanti).
- The cost per ticket should be at least ₹2.
- The top prize (jackpot) for each draw shall be ₹10K or more.
- No prizes shall be offered based on single, double, or triple-digit combinations of winning numbers.
- The draw location would always be within the State of Meghalaya.
- The Additional Chief Secretary, Excise, Registration, Taxation and Stamps Department, Government of Meghalaya shall be the designated officer responsible for conducting all draws.
- Ticket distributors, marketers, and sellers shall be appointed via tendering.
- The Director of Meghalaya State Lottery shall decide the form, size, and design of tickets.
- All printed tickets must bear the State logo, lottery name and serial number, date and time of the draw, the maximum retail price, and prize tiers of the ticket along with the signature of the Director.
- The Meghalaya lottery results must be published in at least 1 National and 2 State-level dailies.
- Payment of prizes of up to ₹10K shall be made by the ticket seller.
- Prizes exceeding ₹10K shall be paid out by the Director after TDS deduction.
- Winners must submit the winning ticket along with 3 passport size photographs, an attested copy of proof of identity, a copy of PAN card, and an affidavit duly signed by the notary officer.
- Prizes must be claimed within 90 days from the date of publication of results to avoid forfeiture.
Note that the Meghalaya Cabinet approved the State Lottery Rules on 3 Dec 2019 to conduct lotteries for revenue generation. Home Minister James K Sangma stated that both paper and online lotteries would run in Meghalaya.
However, no scheme has been introduced yet and the existing Lottery Department is still inoperative. While you wait for lotteries in Meghalaya to resume, know that international lotteries await you online. Try them today.
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More states where lottery is legal
Assam (Bodoland), Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, West Bengal
