Kerala’s biggest jackpot in its history has sold 89.06 percent of printed lottery tickets as of Tuesday. The lottery department has informed that 53,76,000 of the 60 lakh printed lottery tickets have been sold so far, with the bumper Onam 2022 draw scheduled to take place on the 18th of this month. The ticket sales have generated Rs 215 crore as of Tuesday.

The historic draw will award Rs 25 crore to one lucky winner, which is the highest amount ever offered by the state’s lottery department, after doubling the amount (Rs 12 crores) of the previous year’s prize money. And although the ticket prices were increased from Rs 300 to Rs 500, the sales have skyrocketed this year and will likely generate a revenue of Rs 240 crore if all 60 lakh tickets are sold, doubling last year’s ticket sales earning of Rs 124.5 crore.

This year, agents will get Rs 96 in commission on a single ticket as against the previous year’s Rs 58: Sources

The first prize is worth Rs 25 crore, with the runner-up bagging Rs 5 crores in the lottery. The third prize will see 10 ticket holders win Rs. 1 crore each, and the consolation prize of Rs 5 lakh will be awarded to nine lucky winners. 90 ticket holders have a chance of winning Rs 1 lakh each, and 72,000 tickets account for prize money of Rs 5000 each.

The agent who sells the first prize-winning ticket will get Rs 2.50 crore in commission according to a source in contact with the lottery department. The source also stated that this year’s lottery expansion will provide relief to the economically weaker section, especially the women of Kerala lotteries, who were badly affected by the regulations after the pandemic before normalcy resumed.

“Agents, including women and physically challenged, were affected during the pandemic-forced ban and also the period before sales returned to normal. This year, agents will get Rs 96 in commission on a single ticket as against the previous year’s Rs 58. The department will print 90 lakh tickets this time. Last year, all 54 lakh tickets printed were sold out,” said the source in July this year.