UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — T.Nadu raffle to be revived

Question 1

With reference to the history of State-run raffles and lotteries in Tamil Nadu, consider the following year-event pairings:
1. Tamil Nadu State Raffle scheme first introduced — 1968
2. Tamil Nadu State Raffle scheme discontinued — 1975
3. Tamil Nadu Prize Schemes (Prohibition) Act enacted — 1979
4. Tamil Nadu bans the sale of its own as well as other States' lotteries — 1998
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 2

Consider the following statements regarding the Tamil Nadu State Raffle scheme as announced at the time of its revival in July 1976:
1. Tickets were to be priced at one rupee each.
2. Draws were to be conducted every month.
3. Agents authorised as on the date of discontinuation of the earlier scheme were to be given the first right to re-register before fresh agents were appointed.
4. The first draw was expected to be held within a fortnight of the announcement.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 and 2

Answer

2 and 3

Answer

3 and 4

Question 3

Parliament's competence to enact a law laying down the conditions subject to which State Governments may organise, conduct or promote a lottery is traced principally to which one of the following entries of the Seventh Schedule?

Accepted Answer

Entry 40 of the Union List

Answer

Entry 34 of the State List

Answer

Entry 62 of the State List

Answer

Entry 26 of the Concurrent List

Question 4

At the Union level, the administration of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 — including the issue of directions to States under the Act — is handled by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The Ministry of Home Affairs, through its Centre-State Division

Answer

The Ministry of Finance, through its Department of Revenue

Answer

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, through its Cyber Laws Division

Answer

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, through its Department of Consumer Affairs

Question 5

Under the conditions prescribed in the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, what is the maximum number of bumper draws that a lottery may have in a calendar year?

Accepted Answer

Six

Answer

Four

Answer

Twelve

Answer

Twenty-four

Question 6

Under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, the period of the day within which lottery draws may be conducted is to be prescribed by which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

The State Government organising the lottery

Answer

The Central Government exclusively, by rules binding on every State

Answer

The Online Gaming Authority of India, for all draws held anywhere in the country

Answer

The Ministry of Home Affairs, by directions that no State may vary in any manner

Question 7

Consider the following statements regarding the organisation of State lotteries in India:
1. Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim organise both paper and online lotteries.
2. Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and West Bengal organise paper lotteries only.
3. Tamil Nadu organises paper lotteries only, having withdrawn from online lotteries alone.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 8

States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have invoked Section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998. The power conferred by that section is best described as the power of a State to:

Accepted Answer

prohibit within its territory the sale of tickets of lotteries organised by other States

Answer

impose a tax within its territory on tickets of lotteries organised by other States

Answer

obtain the prior concurrence of the Central Government before organising a lottery of its own

Answer

confine the lottery it organises to not more than a single draw in any given week

Question 9

Consider the following statements about Supreme Court rulings bearing on lotteries and gambling:
1. In 2015, the Court upheld the Kerala Government's ban on the sale of online lottery tickets as falling within the powers conferred on the State by Section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998.
2. In February 2025, the Court held that service tax is not leviable by the Centre on lottery distribution transactions, taxation of this activity falling under Entry 62 of the State List.
3. In May 2023, the Court upheld the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka laws prohibiting online games played for stakes, setting aside the contrary High Court judgments.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 10

Consider the following propositions concerning the Supreme Court's May 2026 judgment on State laws regulating online games played for stakes:
1. It upheld the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021.
2. It set aside the judgments of the Madras and Karnataka High Courts that had invalidated those State laws.
3. It held that betting and gambling are res extra commercium, so that no fundamental right subsists to carry them on.
4. It held that once monetary stakes are introduced, games of skill stand outside the regulatory reach of the States.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3

Answer

1 and 4

Answer

2, 3 and 4

Answer

1, 3 and 4

Question 11

Consider the following statements comparing the central and Tamil Nadu regimes on online games played for money:
1. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibits the offering, advertising and participation in online money games while providing an enabling framework for e-sports and online social games.
2. The Online Gaming Authority of India has been constituted as an attached office of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
3. The Tamil Nadu real-money online gaming regulations upheld by the Madras High Court in 2025 dispensed with all identity verification requirements and placed no restriction whatsoever on the hours of play.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2 only

Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 12

The following were stated as intended benefits of the revived Tamil Nadu State Raffle scheme announced in July 1976:
1. Application of the first one crore rupees of net proceeds to drinking water supply in drought-affected areas.
2. Application of the balance of the proceeds to acquisition of house-sites for Harijans.
3. Creation of work for about 2,500 agents besides supplemental income for others.
4. Financing of free midday meals for school children across the State.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

Accepted Answer

4 only

Answer

1 only

Answer

2 and 3

Answer

3 only

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — T.Nadu raffle to be revived

Q3. Parliament's competence to enact a law laying down the conditions subject to which State Governments may organise, conduct or promote a lottery is traced principally to which one of the following entries of the Seventh Schedule?

Q4. At the Union level, the administration of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998 — including the issue of directions to States under the Act — is handled by which one of the following?

Q5. Under the conditions prescribed in the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, what is the maximum number of bumper draws that a lottery may have in a calendar year?

Q6. Under the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, the period of the day within which lottery draws may be conducted is to be prescribed by which one of the following?

Q8. States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have invoked Section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998. The power conferred by that section is best described as the power of a State to: