The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday published details of electoral bonds in compliance with the Supreme Court order. State Bank of India (SBI) had submitted these figures to the Election Commission on March 12. According to the data, now available on the ECI website, the name of Coimbatore-based company Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd emerged as the largest donor of electoral bonds. Future Gaming was founded in 1991 by Lottery King of India Santiago Martin.
According to the data, 23 companies account for half of the total value of electoral bonds purchased since April 2019. Coimbatore-based lottery services firm Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd is the top buyer. The list published by the ECI details bonds worth Rs 12,155.51 crore, which were bought by more than 1,300 companies over nearly five years.
Analysis of the data shows that Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd purchased bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore and thus is the only company to donate more than Rs 1,000 crore.
Let us know 15 important things about Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited-
Future Gaming was founded in 1991 by Lottery King of India Santiago Martin.
Santiago Martin shifted most of his business to Karnataka and Kerala after lotteries were banned in 2003 by Jayalalitha, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Santiago Martin's Future Gaming operates under a subsidiary in South India as Martin Karnataka, and in the North East, it opened the Martin Sikkim Lottery. Martin was said to be the master distributor of Sikkim Lottery.
Future Gaming claims a workforce of over 1,000 employees across 13 states. Lotteries are legally valid in these states. These 13 states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and West Bengal. Future is the sole distributor of the popular 'Dear Lottery' in Nagaland and Sikkim.
According to the Future Gaming website, Santiago Martin was also Consul General for Liberia, where he also established the lottery industry.
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Santiago Martin is also the president of the All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industry, a lobby for lottery distributors, stockists, and agents.
Future Gaming is embroiled in legal matters. In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate seized assets worth over ₹409 crore of lottery company Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd and its various sub-distributors in a money laundering case.
The ED had then said that the proceeds from the sale of lottery tickets were being used to give illegal gifts and incentives. It was claimed that the company had illegally claimed Rs 400 crore between 2014 and 2017.
On March 9, 2024, the ED had conducted searches at the premises of Aadhar Arjun, son-in-law of 'lottery king' Santiago Martin, in Tamil Nadu as part of its money laundering probe linked to the probe into alleged illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu.
The ED has investigated another money laundering case against Santiago Martin, stemming from the CBI case against him and others for alleged offenses related to the sale of Sikkim government lotteries.
According to the information available in the public domain, Martin Santiago, a director of the company, is associated as a director in 114 different companies in the country. He has been a Director of the Company since 30 December 1991. His DIN number is 00029458.
Manikka Gouder Shivprakash, the second director of Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited, is also associated as a director in about 22 different companies in the country. He is a director of the company with effect from August 22, 2022. His DIN number is 08109321. The company is connected to 118 companies in the country through its two directors.
Future Gaming & Hotel Services Private Limited is an unlisted private company registered on December 30, 1991.
It is a private limited company and is located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Its authorized share capital is Rs 50.00 crore and total paid-up capital is Rs 10.07 crore.
Future Gaming & Hotel Services' operating revenue for the financial year ending March 31, 2022 was over Rs 500 crore. During this period, the company's EBITDA had declined by 1.92% compared to the previous year. However, the book net worth of the company had increased by 3.38 percent during that period. This company works as a lottery distributor.
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