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Ratan Khatri, widely known as the Matka King, has once again captured the public’s imagination. In light of that, let us quickly look at who he is and what makes him so popular.
Khatri’s story is one of remarkable transformation and resilience. Born into a Sindhi family in Karachi, Pakistan, he migrated to India as a teenager during the partition of 1947. In India, Khatri carved out a niche for himself in the world of gambling, earning the title of Matka King for revolutionizing the matka gambling system in Mumbai in 1962.
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Matka, which started as a form of betting on the opening and closing rates of cotton from the New York Cotton Exchange, evolved under Khatri’s influence into a large-scale, nationwide gambling network.
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Initially, Khatri worked under Kalyanji Bhagat, another significant figure in the world of matka gambling, known for the Worli Matka. Khatri eventually branched out on his own, establishing Ratan Matka. His network reportedly included celebrities and high-profile dignitaries from around the globe, cementing his status as a legendary figure in the gambling world.
Khatri’s life wasn’t without its challenges. During the Emergency period in India, he was imprisoned and spent 19 months behind bars. Despite these setbacks, he remained a dominant figure in the gambling scene until his retirement in the early 1990s. He passed away in 2020, leaving behind a legacy that continues to intrigue and captivate people.
The mechanics of matka gambling also underwent significant changes over the years. Initially, it involved betting on cotton prices, but by the 1960s, this was replaced with various methods to generate random numbers, including drawing slips from a matka (earthen pot). Khatri was particularly known for his use of playing cards to draw numbers, a practice that became a hallmark of his gambling operations.
Khatri’s influence on the gambling industry in India was profound, and his life story remains a testament to his ingenuity and resilience.
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