Blessings From Vatican And More: Meet Tamil Nadu-Based Lottery Baron Santiago Martin, Largest Donor To Electoral Bonds

The pandora's box of electoral bonds has sent waves across the nation.  While some big donors were on expected lines, few of them just propped up out of the blue.

One of the biggest surprises in this list is Santiago Martin, a lottery baron based in Tamil Nadu. Under two different sets of companies, he purchased bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore.

Santiago Martin, also known as ‘lottery king’ is the chairman of Martin Group of Companies. The man is said to have began his career as a landless labourer in Yangon, Myanmar.

In 1988, he returned to India and set up a lottery business in Tamil Nadu. Martin foundation website notes that the lottery is something which had earlier caught Martin’s attention at the tender age of 13.

After Tamil Nadu, Martin expanded his business in nearby states of Karnataka and Kerala as well. Martin’s Tamil Nadu venture came to halt in 2003 when J Jayalalithaa government decided to ban the sale of all lottery tickets, including online within state boundaries.

By then, Martin had developed a huge network both inside and outside India. After south India, his expansion strategy focused on northeastern states.

Through the Martin Sikkim Lottery, he started handling government lottery schemes in the region. The region became his gateway drug for launching businesses in Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

In India, Martin’s business is expanded in 13 states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim and West Bengal.

According to Business Today, Martin’s company Future Gaming is the sole distributor of the popular ‘Dear Lottery’.  Website boasts of the company having employed more than 1,000 people under its ventures.

His holdings include Martin Homeopathy Medical College and Hospital near Coimbatore, SS Music, a television music channel, M and C Property Development, Martin Nanthavanam apartments and Leema Real Estate Private Limited.

The website notes multiple accolades under Martin’s belt as well. In 2000, he was awarded best lottery professional by Public Gaming Research Institute, US. In 2004, he received a gold medal from the Foundation for Excellence in Business Practice, Geneva. Martin held the position of Consul General for the Republic of Liberia.

If this wasn't enough, he also received validation directly from the Vatican and the Pope. On his silver wedding anniversary, Pope Benedict XVI gave a personal apostolic blessing to Martin and his family, among the highest honours for a Christian.

Moreover, he is currently the president of All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries.

Martin maintains a low profile. Despite that he has been subject to several scrutiny by law enforcement authorities. Business Today report notes that in 2015, tax authorities raided his properties across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka suspecting tax evasion.

In May 2023, the Enforcement Directorate attached Rs 457 crore under Prevention of Money Laundering Act linked to a case involving potential losses exceeding Rs 900 crore to the Sikkim government.

Among other things, Martin previously faced investigations for the alleged Rs 4,500 crore fraud against Sikkim (2008), police inquiries in illegal lottery activities (2011) and raids probing illegal lottery operations in Kerala (2013).

To fight cases against him, Martin has often banked on high-profile lawyers like senior advocates P S Raman, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and M K Damodaran.