Electoral Bonds Data: All about 'Lottery King' Santiago Martin — founder of top donor Future Gaming and Hotel Services
electoral bonds for contributions to political parties. This came after the Supreme Court of India directed the State Bank of India to complete its submission of data on March 12. Now, with the lists revealed, leading the list of donors is a rather unknown company called Future Gaming and Hotel Services, helmed by "Lottery King" Santiago Martin.
Also Read | ED raids, multiple run-ins with the law: 10 points on Future Gaming as Electoral Bond data shows ₹1,368 crore donation Martin's charitable trust website narrates his journey commencing as a labourer in Yangon, Myanmar, the Hindustan Times reported. In 1988, he ventured back to India, establishing a lottery enterprise in Tamil Nadu. Expanding across Karnataka, Kerala, and later into the northeast, he initially ventured into government lottery schemes, it added.
Over time business extended offshore, with ventures in Bhutan and Nepal. Diversifying his portfolio to encompass construction, real estate, textiles, and hospitality, Martin emerged as the President of the All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries, aiming to bolster and legitimise India's lottery trade, as per the report. His enterprise, Future Gaming Solutions India, gained membership in the esteemed World Lottery Association, broadening into online gaming, casinos, and sports betting, it said.
Future Gaming and Hotel Services' contributions to the Electoral Bonds Scheme (EBS) totalled ₹1,368 crore from 2019 to 2024. However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been scrutinising the company since 2019 for purported breaches of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) law. The ED's probes were marked by raids conducted in Coimbatore and Chennai in May 2023, where officials linked to the
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