What is Shillong Teer Game? Let's Know in Depth
Shillong Teer - An Unique Betting Game Runs Hundreads of Families
Shillong Teer Lottery is an archery-based sport played in Meghalaya. It is one of the oldest lottery-based Sports in India. This game has a big chunk of the audience, especially in Meghalaya, Assam, and Tripura. But with technology and internet involvement, you can play and bet on its results from almost everywhere in India.
Shillong Teer is a Traditional archery sport with deep roots in the Indigenous culture of the Khasi people. The locals traditionally call this game ‘Thoh Tim’. Archery used to be a major part of the Khasi people’s lifestyle. In early times, this game was competitive, where people showed talent with bows and arrows, but with time, this game evolved, and people started to put money on the shooters’ skills.
How does Shillong Teer work?
The future of Shillong Teer looks both promising and challenging as the game continues to evolve in a changing legal, technological, and social landscape. As with many traditional games and activities, Shillong Teer is moving online. Resulting in a greater reach. There are already websites and mobile apps where you can check the daily results, and place your bets.
This digital shift is likely to continue, allowing people from other parts of India to participate in this unique game of luck.
The Legalization of Shillong Teer
Under the Meghalaya Amusement and Betting Tax Act of 1982, the State government and the Chief Minister of Meghalaya officially regulated the game. Meghalaya Amusement and Betting Tax (Amendment) Act, 1982 looks after all the legal factors of this unique betting game.
At that time the CM of Meghalaya was Captain Williamson A. Sangma who held the political power at the time to enact the law and make the game legal, supported by the state legislative body. Since then, it has been recognized betting game rather than gambling. Although there are many arguments about Teer being a gamble, the government of Meghalaya sees this game as a betting game.
Why Government Legalize Shillong Teer?
Before the legalization of Teer in Meghalaya the game banned in the 1970s by the state government because of multiple reasons:
- The game was not organized.
- Money fraud started to grow up.
- Many agents and bookies used to say wrong results to make their percentages.
- There were no such proper rules.
- Mouth spread of results used to cause many mistakes.
To solve those issues and the illegal gameplay the government of Meghalaya decided to organise this game. For this Meghalaya Amusements and Betting Tax (Amendment) Act 1982 made and till now Shillong Teer controlled by it.
By legalizing it, the government preserved a part of the region’s indigenous heritage while making it a structured and regulated form of entertainment.
What is The Benifit of The State
Teer contributes to the economy of Meghalaya both direct and indirect way. Through various ways such as Employment opportunities, revenue generation, community development, tourism, etc.
- Revenue Generation of State Government: Shillong Teer contributes to the economy through tax revenue. To run archery counters (stores where you can bet on numbers) you need to have a specific license number which the Law Department of the Government of Meghalaya issues the license for the sale of teer tickets and the regulation of arrow shooting.
- Employment Opportunity: Shillong Teer supports a range of employment opportunities in the state such as Archery Clubs and Their Staffs, Agents, Bookies, Vendors, and Local Businesses, etc.
How does the betting system work?
In this game, there are 100 possible numbers, ranging from 0 to 99. This means there are 100 potential results in each round. Players choose numbers they believe might be successful and place their bets on those numbers. If the number they chose hits, they are rewarded with Rs 80 for every Rs 1 they invest.
Let’s understand with an example: Suppose, out of the 100 numbers, you select 57 and 12 as your target numbers and bet Rs 100 on each. When the result is announced, your prediction is correct, and the result is 12. Since you placed Rs 100 on number 12, you will now receive Rs 8,000 as a reward. This is because, as mentioned earlier, for every Rs 1 you bet, you win Rs 80. Therefore, your Rs 100 bet on 12 will earn you Rs 8,000.
How Shillong Teer's results are listed?
In both rounds, 50 archers shoot arrows at a specific target, with each archer using 30 arrows in the first round and 20 arrows in the second. The last two digits of the number of arrows hitting the target are considered the final result.
Here’s an example to explain: In the first round, 50 archers take aim at the target, each with 30 arrows, totaling 1,500 arrows. Let’s say 875 arrows hit the target. In this case, the final result will be 51, as the last two digits (75) are taken as the outcome.
Colonial Period Theory
Another popular theory suggests that during the colonial period, Shillong was the capital of Assam, and the British were drawn to the cool weather of Meghalaya as an escape from the heat of the plains.
During this time, the British observed the traditional Khasi archery game and were impressed by it. It is believed that they introduced the lottery and betting system to the traditional sport, adapting it into a more organized form.
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