This time's Onam bumper will have at least four 'crorepatis', tickets getting sold like hot cakes

KOCHI: Sales of Onam bumpers are still going strong despite the increase in the ticket price. The bumper lottery with a first prize of Rs 25 crore is priced at Rs 500. 13 lakh tickets were sold within two weeks of its sale. The sale started on July 18.

The special feature of this year's Thiruvonam bumper is that the top three runners-up will become crorepatis. This time the usual trend of falling sales during the rainy season was broken. Despite the heavy rains, sales did not slow down. There are also negative campaigns on social media against the Onam bumper, including that it is a fraud but it didn't have an effect on the ticket sales.

The second prize of the bumper is Rs 5 crore. The third prize is Rs 1 crore for 10 people and the fourth prize is Rs 1 lakh for 90 people. A consolation prize of 5 lakhs will be given to 9 people. The prizes will be worth Rs 126 crore in total. The agent who sells the first prize ticket will get a commission of Rs 2.50 crore.

Draw on September 18

The plan is to print a total of 90 lakh tickets. Printing will be based on demand from district offices. Last year, 54 lakh Onam bumpers were sold. The ticket now has currency security and fluorescent colour to prevent fraud. The draw will be held on September 18.