Starting as Labourer in Myanmar to 'Lottery King': Meet Santiago Martin, the Highest Electoral Bond Donor

[Spartan]

The Election Commission of India on Thursday published electoral bonds data on its official website, after receiving it from the SBI, days after it was directed by the Supreme Court.

As per the data received, a company named Future Gaming and Hotel Services were spotted to be among the prominent buyers of the now-scrapped electoral bonds for making political donations.

The company run by Santiago Martin, commonly known as ‘Lottery King’, bought electoral bonds worth over Rs 1,350 crore under two different sets of companies and came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate in March 2022,

Who is Santiago Martin?

According to the official website of Martin Charitable Trust, Santiago Martin is the founder and chairman of the Martin Group of Companies, who began his journey in the lottery industry at a very young age. Martin is regarded as the ‘Lottery King’ of India as he attained a position of leadership within the business through  years of innovation and marketing. Before stepping into the world of lottery, he worked as a labourer in Myanmar’s Yangon.

In 2004, he was awarded a gold medal for Excellence in Business by the Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice, Geneva and has been highlighted as the highest personal taxpayer in India, who paid up to Rs 1 billion per year in tax alone.

Apart from Martin Lottery Tickets, the group headed by Santiago Martin that constitute the Martin Group of Companies offer several services from Real Estate, Construction to Hospitality, Software and Technology as well as Building Materials and many more.

The website further claims that he is also the President of All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries – an organization engaged for uplifting and infusing credibility to the lottery trade in India.

“Under his stewardship, his enterprise, Future Gaming Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. became a member of the prestigious World Lottery Association and is expanding into the field of Online Gaming & Casinos and Sports Betting,” it added.

[Spartan]

Between 2019 and 2024, Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited donated ₹1368 crore.

The Enforcement Directorate has been probing the company for allegedly violating the PMLA law since 2019. In May 2023, the probe agency had even carried out raids in Coimbatore and Chennai.

[summer27]

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