Kollam: A printing glitch has struck the Kerala State Lottery once again, with duplicate tickets carrying the exact same number and series surfacing from yesterday’s Sthree Sakthi draw.

R Hareesh, proprietor of Sree Meenakshi Lottery Agency at Decent Junction, found two identical tickets bearing the number SC 819746, a series carrying a first prize of ₹1 crore. Hareesh had purchased a bundle of 1,200 tickets from Attukal Agencies. The duplication came to light when staff at the shop were sorting and verifying the stock.

Attukal Agencies had procured the tickets directly from the District Lottery Office and has since submitted a formal complaint to both the District Lottery Officer and the Directorate of State Lotteries.

This marks the second such incident in the district within a few days. A similar error surfaced ahead of Monday’s Sthree Sakthi draw, when R Santhosh, who runs Akhil Lottery Agencies in Cherumoodu, Perinad, discovered two identical tickets bearing the number SC 817746. Santhosh had purchased 300 tickets from the District Lottery Office and spotted the duplicate on Sunday evening while preparing bills for retail vendors.

Lottery vendors have voiced serious concerns, fearing that distributing duplicate numbers to customers will erode their credibility and shake public trust. Significantly, both duplications reported in the district occurred within the ‘SC’ series. Retailers have urged authorities to verify the accuracy of the remaining stock to determine whether a wider misprint has occurred.

Meanwhile, lottery officials stated that if duplicate tickets happen to win, regulations allow for the prize money to be paid to both holders, subject to verification of the tickets’ authenticity. They confirmed that such occurrences are typically the result of printing press errors and assured that appropriate action would follow an inspection.