Shillong, Jan. 3: A resident of the Meghalaya capital has won the Rs 4-crore jackpot in a hugely popular online lottery but is unwilling to disclose his identity, lest extortionists come knocking on his door.

Agents of Playwin, which conducts the Sikkim Super Lotto draw, confirmed that the person who had hit the jackpot was from Shillong. However, they declined to divulge if the winner had staked claim to the prize.

A source said the winner was from a middle-class family and had purchased the lucky ticket a few hours before the draw, shown live on a television channel. It is presumed that the winner will claim his prize-money in one of the metros so that his identity remains a secret.

It is the first time that anyone from the Northeast has won the Super Lotto. The jackpot has been hit only 12 times since the lottery was launched last year. A person from Karnataka, which has his own version of online lottery, had won the jackpot (over Rs 6 crore) on November 28.

As news spread that somebody from Shillong had turned a crorepati overnight, people milled in front of counters for Playwin tickets. Even the biting cold in this capital town did not deter over 10,000 residents from venturing out to buy tickets.

“I am excited because somebody from Shillong has won so much money. I hope luck will smile on me in the same way. I need the money,” Hari Misty, a carpenter by profession and a lottery-player by habit, said.

For the F.A. Khonglam government, Playwin’s announcement that the winning ticket was purchased in Shillong has presented an opportunity to kill the opposition to its online lottery deal with M.S. Associates. A minister said most people would perhaps realise that everyone can benefit from legalised online lottery.

“We expect our detractors to realise that what we did was not bad for the state. If one can win Rs 4 crore, another can win Rs 8 crore,” he said. However, questions are being raised about why Meghalaya’s version of online lottery, managed by M.S. Associates is not doing well. “Playwin is raking in the money for states that have signed agreements with it, while our state is going down in the lottery stakes,” a member of the Opposition said.

Playwin operates several lotteries — including Super Lotto, Lucky Three, Thunderball, Bonus Ball and Maha Lotto — for the Sikkim, Karnataka and Maharashtra governments.

Most of the games, except for Super Lotto, were launched after Meghalaya struck a contentious deal with M.S. Associates. The ruling coalition came under fire for allegedly pushing through the deal with the company, owned by Assam politician Mani Kumar Subba, in a hush-hush manner in August.