Santiago Martin: The top electoral bond donor, and a man of many controversies

The Election Commission of India has released information on electoral bonds, providing details on the top recipients and donors between April 12, 2019 to January 24, 2024. There’s a surprise at the top of the donor list. A relatively unfamiliar name, Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited, has emerged as the top donor through electoral bonds.

What is Future Gaming?

Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited has topped the donor list with a purchase ₹1,368 crore rupees worth electoral bonds. Run by Santiago Martin, who is also popularly known as the "Lottery King", Future Gaming claims to have business interests in hospitality, healthcare, education and real estate. The company, which was previously known as Martin Lottery Agencies, is also known as a significant contributor to lottery sales in Sikkim, Kerala, and West Bengal, the states which still allow the lottery business.

Santiago Martin, the "Lottery King"

Santiago Martin is the founder & Chairman of the Martin Group of Companies which owns Future Gaming and Hotel Services Private Limited. The website of his chartiable trust, The Martin Fondation, states “The story of his life is one that epitomizes the success of a man who built nothing, into an empire.” It also adds that he had his first brush with the lottery business at the age of 13 years, and later attained “a position of leadership” in lottery trade. The website claims that Martin is now regarded as the “Lottery King” of India.

Santiago Martin: The Controversies

Though the Coimbatore-based businessman is relatively unknown at the national level, he is no stranger to controversies.

In 2008, Santiago Martin was in the eye of a row over a contribution of ₹2 crore to CPI(M) mouthpiece Deshabhimani. However, the money was later refunded to him due to a feud within the party between the Pinarayi Vijayan and V S Achuthanandan camps.

Santiago Martin has also had close ties with DMK. In 2011, he was in the limelight for producing a ₹20 crore Tamil movie called Ilaignan. The script of the movie was written by the then Chief Minister of the state, M Karunanidhi.

However, when Jayalalitha-led AIADMK came to power in the state, ‘the lottery king’ was arrested in Chennai in connection with an alleged land grab case. Though, the Madras High Court later acquitted him in that case.

Between 2011 to 2013, he was also on the radar of the police forces from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, when his businesses faced searches and raids at various premises in connection with probes into illegal lottery operations in these states.

In 2015, Santiago Martin’s businesses faced the heat from the Income Tax Department. The taxman raided his premises across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, while probing allegations of tax evasion and financial irregularities.

In Dec 2021, Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached his properties worth ₹19.5 crore in connection with a money laundering probe. In 2022, once again the ED attached ₹411 crore in the bank accounts of the firm and other companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Later the enforcement agency also filed a prosecution complaint against the company before the PMLA Court, Kolkata on September 09, 2023.

Also Watch: Megha Engineering: Infrastructure giant & second biggest electoral bond donor, run by PV Krishna Reddy