Matka
When did Matka start? The question may have crossed your mind, but you don’t know how it all began. The practice of betting on cotton rates dates back to the 1950s. People would place their bets on the rates of cotton through teleprinters sent to the Bombay Cotton Exchange. The New York Cotton Exchange eventually shut down this practice, and gamblers began betting on pieces of paper instead. Those bets were a big success, and soon the entire industry was based on teleprinters and electronic machines.
In 1961, the New York Cotton Exchange banned matka trade. Punters began looking for an alternative. Rattan Khatri came up with the idea of announcing imaginary rates. Originally, numbers were written on pieces of paper and put in an earthen pot. When the chit came out, the winner would be announced. The game soon evolved and changed to use three numbers from playing cards. In fact, the first matka was held in the 1950s.
The original matka players were famous figures like Ratan Khatri. The original Matka King, Ratan Khatri, controlled a huge illegal gambling network, involving crores of rupees and many lakhs of punters. This thriving business thrived in Central Mumbai. As the popularity of the game grew, the number of dealers increased, and the craze began to spread to other parts of India. Many gamblers were wealthy and started betting on cricket games instead.
When Did Matka Start?
The modern Matka game evolved from Satta Matka. In earlier times, Matka gambling involved betting on the prices of cotton on the New Work Cotton Exchange. In the 1960s, it was popular and players became addicted to it. In fact, there were several people who made large amounts of money through matka lottery gaming. In modern times, people use three numbers drawn from a pack of playing cards to play the game. There are now three varieties of the game.
It is possible that the original matka game originated in Mumbai. Its name derives from the earthen pot used to draw the numbers. In the 1960s, the gambling was centered in central Mumbai. In the 1920s, bookies opened their businesses near the textile mills. Today, there are more than a dozen bookies in Central Mumbai. Interestingly enough, Matka gambling is still illegal in India. However, brick-based matka game setups and money-based websites are popular in India.
The game began in Mumbai and was regulated in 1963, but soon spread across the nation. In fact, it became the largest betting racket in India and a nation-wide phenomenon. While it is illegal in many places, matka gambling has a long history. The history of this game is fascinating and worth knowing more about. So, where did it start? And what are its rules? Here is a brief description.