Thiruvananthapuram Jan 21 (IANS) Kerala’s much-awaited Christmas–New Year Bumper lottery has rewritten the record books, with ticket sales crossing the five-million mark well ahead of the draw, underlining the enduring popularity of the state lottery among people cutting across income groups.

As of January 21, a total of 5.17 million tickets had already been sold, comfortably surpassing last year’s figure of 4.76 million and setting a new benchmark for the festive draw.

The surge in demand has been driven largely by the bumper’s headline attraction, a Rs 20-crore first prize, which has sparked renewed enthusiasm among buyers even as the draw date draws closer.

With several days still remaining for the draw, ticket counters across the state have been witnessing brisk business, prompting the Lottery Department to release an additional 5 lakh tickets into the market.

In all, 5.5 million tickets were printed for this edition, reflecting the scale of public interest.

District-wise sales figures reveal interesting trends.

Palakkad has emerged as the clear leader, with over 12.2 lakh tickets sold so far.

Thrissur follows in second place with 5.44 lakh tickets, while Thiruvananthapuram stands third with sales touching 5.15 lakh. Kollam has climbed to the fourth position by selling 3.34 lakh tickets, overtaking Ernakulam, while Kannur occupies the fifth spot with sales of 3.11 lakh tickets.

Beyond the bumper prize, the draw offers a broad and inclusive prize structure.

Twenty winners will walk away with Rs 1 crore each as the second prize, while another 20 will receive Rs 10 lakh each as the third prize.

Fourth and fifth prizes of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, will also be awarded to 20 winners each.

In addition, nine consolation prizes of Rs 1 lakh each are earmarked for the nine series that do not secure the bumper prize.

Smaller cash prizes ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 5,000 further widen the appeal, taking the total number of winning tickets to nearly 6.22 lakh. Priced at Rs 400, the BR 107 Christmas–New Year Bumper is available in ten series.

The draw will be held on January 24 in Thiruvananthapuram, with anticipation building across the state as Kerala waits to see who will ring in the New Year with a life-changing fortune.

–IANS

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