Santiago Martin, aka ‘Lottery King, sparked a lot of sudden interest after his name was found on the top list of electoral bond donors, find out more about him below and his net worth
Santiago’s firm, ‘Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited’ reportedly made the highest amount of donations to political parties.
Who is Santiago Martin owner of ‘Future Gaming and Hotel Services, net worth, biography, age, wife, career and religion
Santiago Martin Electoral Bonds: Once ED, IT's 'Top' Target, Today's No. 1 Electoral Bonds Donor pic.twitter.com/eX6oQZg1UY
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) March 15, 2024
Details of Santiago’s donations came out after the Election Commission made a list of entities that purchased electoral bonds.
Santiago Martin bio
Santiago Martin, aka the “Lottery King,” hails from Coimbatore and is the founder & chairman of the Martin Group of Companies.
Martin had a harsh childhood, working as an impoverished worker and trader in Myanmar around the age of 13. After years of hard work, he eventually created and established Martin Lottery Agencies Ltd. in 1988, one of the largest business empires in the country. Although his exact age is unknown, he is currently in his late 50s, and is married to Leema Rose and is a Christian by religion.
Profession and career
According to Santiago Martin’s website, he reportedly started his career as a labourer in Myanmar’s Yangon. He then returned to India and started a lottery business in Tamil Nadu later in 1988. He found success and eventually started expanding the business in Karnataka and Kerala. By 2003, he had taken his business outside Tamil Nadu after the state government banned lotteries. His company grew further, and he eventually moved to the northeast, where he started handling government lottery schemes. Martin further expanded internationally, with business operations in Bhutan and Nepal.
Santiago Martin scandalous history
Throughout his career, Martin has been involved in a slew of controversies and scams. Santiago first went viral after the Income Tax Department conducted simultaneous raids on his properties on April 30, 2019, in 70 locations across the country. Following the raid, the IT sleuths seized ₹5.8 crore in cash and ₹24 crore worth of gold and diamonds. Martin and his wife also gained attention for engaging in dubious dealings, and always kept close ties with political leaders in Tamil Nadu.
Back in 2021, ex-Congress chief of Tamil Nadu Alagiri accused Martin of making 83 percent of donations to the BJP during the Assembly elections. The net donation to political parties during that time was ₹245.7 crores. Around that same time, election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) revealed that Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited donated around ₹1368 crore between 2019 and 2024. Santiago Martin also gained prominence after a murder investigation probe related to one of his long-term employees. The deceased was reportedly found dead a few hours after the I-T sleuths grilled him, inciting suspicions.
Amidst all these scandals, Martin often tried to repair his image and made several contributions to the state. Most notably, when Cyclone Gaja heavily destroyed the delta districts of Tamil Nadu in November 2018, Santiago donated ₹5 crore towards relief measures. He also made significant contributions during the Cyclone Vardah in 2016 and the Chennai floods in 2015. Martin also holds the tag of being one of the highest tax-payers in the country.
Net worth
While Santiago’s exact net worth is unknown, his company, Martin Lottery Agencies Limited, once reported a net worth of over Rs 7,000 crore.
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