Section 294A IPC: Keeping lottery office
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 294A IPC at a Glance
Section 294A IPC deals with keeping lottery office. It is bailable and non-cognizable, triable by any Magistrate; from 1 July 2024 it is replaced by Section 297 BNS.
For keeping a lottery office, imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or fine, or both. Publishing a lottery proposal carries no imprisonment.
Section 294A IPC Bare Act Text
294A. Keeping lottery office
Whoever keeps any office or place for the purpose of drawing any lottery not being a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
And whoever publishes any proposal to pay any sum, or to deliver any goods, or to do or forbear doing anything for the benefit of any person, on any event or contingency relative or applicable to the drawing of any ticket, lot, number or figure in any such lottery, shall be punished with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
Source: Section 294A, Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 294A IPC in Simple Words
Section 294A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) creates two distinct offences relating to unauthorised lotteries. The first limb punishes whoever keeps any office or place for the purpose of drawing any lottery that is not a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
The second limb punishes whoever publishes any proposal to pay any sum, deliver goods, or do or forbear doing anything for the benefit of any person on any event or contingency relative to the drawing of any ticket, lot, number, or figure in such a lottery, with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees. Under the First Schedule to the Code of Criminal Procedure, both offences are non-cognizable, bailable, and triable by any Magistrate.
Ingredients of Section 294A IPC
- Keeping any office or place for the purpose of drawing any lottery not being a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government
- Publishing any proposal to pay a sum, deliver goods, or do or forbear doing anything for the benefit of any person on an event or contingency relative to the drawing of any ticket, lot, number or figure in such unauthorised lottery
Punishment Under Section 294A IPC
For keeping a lottery office, imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or fine, or both. Publishing a lottery proposal carries no imprisonment.
For keeping a lottery office, fine with no fixed limit, alone or with imprisonment. For publishing a proposal relating to such a lottery, fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
Keeping an office for an unauthorised lottery is punishable with imprisonment of either description for up to six months, or with fine, or with both. Publishing a proposal relating to such a lottery is punishable with fine of up to one thousand rupees.
Example of Section 294A IPC
When Section 294A IPC Does Not Apply
- Section 294A IPC does not apply when the office or place is kept for drawing a State lottery or a lottery duly authorised by the State Government.
- Section 294A IPC does not apply to a person who does not keep an office or place for drawing an unauthorised lottery and does not publish any proposal connected with such a draw.
- Section 294A IPC does not apply when a published announcement does not propose to pay any sum, deliver any goods, or do or abstain from doing anything based on the drawing of a ticket, lot, number, or figure in an unauthorised lottery.
Section 294A IPC in the BNS
Section 294A IPC is now covered under Section 297 BNS.
Section 294A IPC corresponds to Section 297 BNS. The heading is unchanged. Section 297 BNS formally divides the section into sub-section 1 for keeping an office or place for drawing an unauthorised lottery, and sub-section 2 for publishing proposals relating to such lottery draws. For the publishing offence in sub-section 2, the maximum fine is increased from one thousand rupees under Section 294A IPC to five thousand rupees under Section 297 BNS, and the phrase forbear doing is updated to forbear from doing. The six-month imprisonment maximum and fine for keeping a lottery office in sub-section 1 remain unchanged.
View detailed comparison (IPC 294A vs BNS 297) →FAQs on Section 294A IPC
What does Section 294A IPC punish?▼
Section 294A IPC punishes keeping any office or place for drawing any lottery that is neither a State lottery nor a lottery authorised by the State Government, and separately punishes publishing any proposal relating to the drawing of such lottery.
What is the punishment for keeping a lottery office under Section 294A IPC?▼
The punishment for keeping a lottery office is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
What is the punishment for publishing lottery proposals under Section 294A IPC?▼
Publishing proposals relative to an unauthorised lottery draw is punishable with fine only, which may extend to one thousand rupees under Section 294A IPC.
What is the punishment under Section 297 BNS for publishing lottery proposals?▼
Under Section 297 BNS, publishing proposals relative to an unauthorised lottery draw is punishable with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.
Are authorised State lotteries covered under Section 294A IPC?▼
No. Section 294A IPC expressly excludes a State lottery or a lottery authorised by the State Government.
Is Section 294A IPC cognizable and bailable?▼
Under the First Schedule to the Code of Criminal Procedure, offences under Section 294A IPC are non-cognizable and bailable, and triable by any Magistrate.
Can an offence under Section 294A IPC be compounded?▼
No. Section 294A IPC is not compoundable under Section 320 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
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Sources: Bare Act Text, Indian Penal Code, 1860 · Last updated: 16 Oct 2026 ·