Anurag Thakur Warns Against Reviving Gambling in Himachal, Says Two-Decade Political Consensus Must Be Protected
Lotteries No Solution to Himachal’s Financial Crisis; Thakur Suggests Fiscal Reforms for Additional Revenue
New Delhi, August 26, 2026: Former Union Cabinet Minister and MP Shri Anurag Singh Thakur has written today, a letter to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, strongly urging the immediate withdrawal of the tender issued by the Finance Department for the reintroduction of state-run lotteries in the state. Referring to e-tender 2026_DTAL_141511_1 for appointing a sole selling agent for an online and offline lottery system, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur urged the state government to abandon the proposal in its entirety in the interest of the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Shri Anurag Thakur in his letter highlighted the rare political consensus that has kept lotteries banned in Himachal Pradesh for more than two decades. He recalled that the government of Shri Prem Kumar Dhumal imposed the ban in 1999 after witnessing its devastating impact on employees, pensioners, labourers and youth, while the Congress government led by the late Shri Virbhadra Singh reimposed the ban in 2007 when lotteries returned. He said successive governments led by Shri Virbhadra Singh, Shri Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shri Jai Ram Thakur maintained the prohibition despite fiscal pressures, making it a consensus based on the lived experience of the people of the state.
Warning about the social consequences of reviving lotteries, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur in his letter said Himachal Pradesh has already witnessed families losing salaries, savings and pensions to lottery gambling, with households being pushed into financial distress. He expressed particular concern over the proposed online system, which would allow up to twelve draws every day and three annual bumper draws, taking gambling directly into smartphones and homes. He cautioned that such a system could disproportionately affect lower and middle-income families and noted that Articles 38 and 47 of the Constitution emphasise the State’s responsibility towards public welfare and protection from injurious practices.
Addressing Himachal Pradesh’s financial challenges, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur said that with the state’s debt reaching ₹1,10,010 crore in 2026 and the debt-to-GSDP ratio exceeding 42%, lotteries cannot provide a meaningful solution. He pointed out that the proposed lottery is projected to generate only around ₹100 crore annually, while Kerala’s experience shows that large gross lottery sales can translate into substantially lower net revenue after prize payouts, commissions, advertising and administrative costs. Instead, he suggested strengthening GST compliance and digital integration, which independent estimates indicate could generate an additional ₹250–350 crore annually without imposing the social costs associated with lotteries. He urged the Chief Minister to annul the tender and uphold Himachal Pradesh’s long-standing consensus in favour of sustainable and responsible fiscal reform.
