Is There an Official Lottery Sambad App? Fake Apps, Fake Results and Prize Scams
Neither Nagaland nor Sikkim publishes a Lottery Sambad app. What the Play Store apps really are, how to spot a fake result, why 'online tickets' aren't real tickets, and what to do if you're scammed.
We found no app published by Nagaland or Sikkim State Lotteries. Nagaland's official website offers results, live draws, a winners list, a claim form and contacts — no app, and no online ticket sales. The "Lottery Sambad" and "Dear Lottery" apps on the Play Store are made by private developers; the ones we checked say they're not affiliated with the state lottery. Some also sell "target numbers". A Dear ticket is a paper ticket printed by the state: anything sold as an "online ticket" or sent as a photo isn't one. If anyone asks you to pay to release a prize, it's a scam — report it on 1930.
Where official results actually come from
Each Dear draw is run by a state government, and only that state's result sheet is official:
| Draw | Run by | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 PM and 8 PM | Nagaland State Lotteries | nagalandlotteries.com — results, live draw, claim form |
| 6 PM | Sikkim State Lotteries | sikkimlotteries.sikkim.gov.in |
| Bumpers | The state named on the ticket | That state's website and result sheet |
Nagaland's site, run by the state's Finance Department, has six sections: Home, Results, Live Draw, Winners, Claim Form and Contacts. Its draws are streamed on YouTube from the Live Draw page. There is no app download link and no option to buy tickets.
Results sites — ours included — republish these sheets. We publish each official sheet on our 1 PM, 6 PM and 8 PM pages within minutes of the draw, but the state's sheet is always the final word.
What the Play Store apps are
Search the Play Store for "Lottery Sambad" or "Nagaland lottery" and you'll find dozens of apps. They are third-party apps. What they typically do:
- Show results — copied from the official sheets, sometimes late or with mistakes.
- Sell or push "target numbers" — one app with over 10,000 downloads advertises a "Smart Target Generator" for 4- and 5-digit targets "based on recent winning trends", while stating that it is "not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to" the Nagaland State Lottery Department.
- Run prediction "games" — coins for guessing numbers, and referral rewards for bringing in other users.
- Show ads — which is how most of them make money.
An unofficial app isn't automatically harmful. But nothing in it is official, its numbers can be wrong, and any "prediction" it sells is worthless — no one can know a lottery number before the live draw. Our guide to machine numbers and targets shows why their "hits" happen by chance.
Before you install a lottery app
- Check the developer. If it isn't a state government, it's unofficial — whatever the icon looks like.
- Check the permissions. A results app has no reason to read your SMS, contacts or call logs.
- Never pay inside the app for numbers, "VIP" tips or prize release.
- Don't download APK files from links in WhatsApp or Telegram groups. They can carry malware.
Can you buy Dear lottery tickets online?
Not from the states that run them. Under section 4(b) of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, a state must print its lottery tickets with the state's imprint and logo. Dear tickets are paper tickets sold through stockists and retailers. Nagaland's official site has no online sales.
So when someone offers "Dear lottery online":
- A photo or PDF of a ticket sent on WhatsApp is not a ticket you own. You can't claim a prize without the original paper ticket.
- A website or app "booking" isn't a state sale. If the number wins, you have nothing to claim with.
- Paying by UPI to a person's number for "tickets" leaves you no proof and no recourse.
Kerala's lottery department has said the same about its own tickets: there is no online sale and no tie-up with any website or app; tickets are sold only through authorised agents in the state.
How to spot a fake result
Fake result images and pages circulate every day, especially around bumpers. Check these five things:
- Date and draw name agree. Each name belongs to one weekday — Dear Lucky is Saturday's 8 PM draw, Dear Legend is Monday's 6 PM. A mismatch means the image is wrong or edited. Our draw names guide has the full schedule.
- The number format is right. Regular tickets: two digits and a letter, then five digits (e.g. 74J 42058). Bumpers in 2026: a letter, then six digits.
- The prize amounts are right. Regular draws: ₹1 crore, ₹1,000 consolation, ₹10,000, ₹500, ₹250 and ₹120. A sheet showing other amounts for a regular draw is wrong.
- The sheet is complete. A real sheet lists 10 second-prize numbers, 10 each in the 3rd and 4th prize lists, and 100 in the 5th.
- It matches the official source. Check against the state's sheet or the live draw recording before you trust any forwarded image.
Pages that contradict themselves are a red flag too. One "state lottery result" page we checked on 25 October 2026 gave three different first-prize amounts for the same draw and labelled it both 6 PM and 8 PM.
The "you've won" scam
This is the most common lottery fraud, and it doesn't depend on which lottery's name is used. It usually runs like this:
- A call or WhatsApp message says you've won — often a lottery you never bought a ticket for.
- You're told the prize can be released once you pay "tax", "GST", a "processing fee" or a "registration charge".
- After you pay, the prize "increases" and a bigger fee is needed.
- Payment requests come as UPI QR codes or bank details of individuals.
A real case: in August 2026 a man in Mangaluru was told he had won ₹8 lakh in the "Kerala Lottery". He paid ₹3.81 lakh in instalments for "tax" — and then more after being told the prize had doubled. No prize was ever paid. He reported it on the cybercrime helpline 1930, and police registered a case.
The Reserve Bank of India has long warned about the same pattern: fraudsters ask for an initial deposit, commission or "taxes" before releasing money, and vanish once it's paid. RBI also says it holds no accounts for individuals to disburse prizes.
The facts that end every version of this scam:
- You can only win a lottery you hold a ticket for.
- Tax on lottery winnings is deducted from the prize before payment. Nobody pays tax in advance to "unlock" a prize.
- State lotteries don't phone winners to announce wins. You find out from the result.
If you've been scammed
- Call 1930 — the national cybercrime helpline — as soon as possible. Early reports give the best chance of freezing money in transit.
- Report at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs and transaction references.
- Tell your bank and ask it to block or flag the transactions.
- File a police complaint and keep the copy.
- Stop paying. Any "recovery agent" who contacts you afterwards asking for a fee is part of the same scam.
Getting results quickly without an app
You don't need an app to see results fast:
- Bookmark the result page for your draw: 1 PM, 6 PM or 8 PM. Each page updates as soon as the official sheet is out.
- Use the ticket checker to check a number against all three of today's draws.
- Join our WhatsApp channel for an alert when each result is published.
- Watch the live draw from Nagaland's official Live Draw page.
18+ only. Lottery is a game of chance; play only with money you can afford to lose. Lottery Sambad Today publishes results and guides, never predictions, and is not affiliated with the Nagaland or Sikkim State Lotteries.