MUMBAI (Special Correspondence) | Hon’ble Member of Parliament (MP) Sh. Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke has formally approached the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra, calling for a high-level investigation into alleged systemic fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering by M/s Future Gaming & Hotel Services (P) Ltd.
In a detailed letter, the lawmaker highlighted how the firm, which maintains a regional office in Andheri East, Mumbai, is reportedly defrauding the citizens of Maharashtra while operating lotteries for the states of Nagaland, Sikkim, and Punjab.
MP Lanke’s letter outlines several serious violations of the Lotteries Regulation Act 1998 and the Lotteries Regulation Rules 2010. The firm is accused of violating Rule 3(3) by failing to disclose the actual number of tickets printed. This lack of transparency suggests a “phantom ticket” scam, where winning numbers could be drawn from tickets that were never officially issued, leading to direct cheating of the public. The MP alleged a sophisticated tax evasion scheme where lottery tickets are sold in small bundles (5, 10, 20, etc.) to keep individual prize payouts between ₹10,000 and ₹18 lakhs. This allows agents to pay prizes in cash without deducting Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) under Section 194B. The letter estimates a staggering loss of ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 crore annually in TDS revenue. Furthermore, it notes that the Income Tax Department had already issued a demand notice exceeding ₹6,000 crore following raids in late 2023. The firm is reportedly selling “Bumper Lotteries” under the guise of “Weekly Lotteries,” a direct violation of Section 2(a) of the Lotteries Regulation Act.
The Member of Parliament raised concerns regarding the lack of registration for authorized agents. This anonymity, he argues, prevents local police from distinguishing between legal operators and illicit syndicates.
Most notably, Sh. Lanke pointed out that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had previously shared intelligence regarding the malpractices of the firm’s promoter, Mr. Santiago Martin, with the Maharashtra Police. However, the MP expressed concern that no significant enquiry has been initiated to date.
MP Nilesh Lanke has requested the DGP to immediately investigate the Mumbai-based operations of M/s Future Gaming under Sections 7, 8, and 9 of the Lotteries Regulation Act 1998, as well as relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
The MP emphasized that the scale of the alleged money laundering and the calculated loss to the exchequer necessitate urgent intervention to protect the public and state revenue.
