The 18-page notification was issued by the Director, Directorate of Treasuries, Accounts and Lotteries, under the provisions of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998. The draft rules lay down the framework for conducting and regulating lottery operations in the state and are expected to be placed before the Cabinet in its next meeting for final approval.
According to the proposed rules, Himachal Pradesh will operate both paper and online lottery schemes. To ensure transparency and credibility, judges will be appointed to supervise and conduct lottery draws. The rules stipulate that, excluding six bumper draws in a calendar year, the total number of lottery draws across all schemes will not exceed 24 in a single day. Lottery draws will not be held on national holidays.
The notification further specifies that the minimum sale price of a lottery ticket will be Rs 2, while the date and time of each draw will be printed on the face of the ticket. Prize money is proposed to range from Rs 1 lakh to as high as Rs 5 crore. Lottery tickets will be printed either at government presses or at high-security presses empanelled by the Reserve Bank of India.
The state government had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee on February 19 to draft the lottery rules and tender documents. The committee was headed by Industries and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and included Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh and Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani as members. The committee subsequently submitted its recommendations to the Cabinet.
Himachal Pradesh had discontinued its own lottery operations in 1998-99. While lotteries from states such as Assam, Sikkim and Manipur continued to be sold in Himachal for some years, their sale was eventually banned in 2004.
Facing increasing financial pressures, the state Cabinet had, on July 31, 2025, approved in principle the proposal to reintroduce lotteries. The government estimates that the revival could generate around Rs 100 crore annually. During deliberations, the Finance Department cited the success of lottery systems in other states, noting that Kerala generated over Rs 13,582 crore in revenue, Punjab around Rs 235 crore and Sikkim approximately Rs 30 crore in a year.
The Baisakhi Sale Plan offers an excellent value of 2 years of subscription + 6 months complimentary.
If you proceed with this purchase, your current monthly subscription plan will be immediately cancelled.