Electoral Bonds: Who is Future Gaming, India's Top Donor
The Election Commission recently shared data on electoral bonds, revealing that Future Gaming and Hotel Services stood out as the largest donor. This information was made public on the Election Commission of India's official website on Thursday, March 14. Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR was identified as the leading contributor among companies supporting political parties.
Future Gaming, founded by Santiago Martin, made headlines as it donated ₹1,368 crore to political parties through electoral bonds. This data, now available to the public, was provided to the Election Commission by the State Bank of India, following an order from the Supreme Court.
In the released list, it's highlighted that approximately 1300 companies purchased electoral bonds amounting to over ₹12,000 crore over five years. Future Gaming notably crossed the ₹1,000 crore mark, making it the highest contributor.
Here's a brief overview of Future Gaming and Hotel Services: Founded in 1991 by Santiago Martin, known as the Lottery King of India, Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR originated in Tamil Nadu. However, due to the state's lottery ban, Martin shifted much of the business to Kerala and Karnataka.
Presently, the company operates in 13 Indian states where lotteries are legal, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, and West Bengal.
Its main product is the ‘Dear Lottery', and it operates in southern India through its subsidiary Martin Karnataka and in the northeast through Martin Sikkim Lottery.
Santiago Martin, the company's founder, also serves as the President of the All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries. It has a workforce of more than 1,000 employees.
Despite being a major player in the Indian lottery scene, Future Gaming has faced allegations from the Enforcement Directorate. The ED has accused the company of illegally diverting proceeds from lottery ticket sales to gifts and incentives.
Additionally, ED's investigation revealed that Future Gaming allegedly claimed around ₹400 crore illegally between 2014 and 2017. Searches were also conducted by the ED at the premises of Santiago Martin's son-in-law in Tamil Nadu in connection to a money laundering case.
Moreover, Martin himself has been questioned by the ED in a separate money laundering case alongside others as reported by PTI.
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