Ratan Khatri: the 'Matka King' and how Satta Matka began
Updated: 2026-10-22
Ratan Khatri is the name most people connect with Satta Matka. Together with Kalyanji Bhagat, he turned a betting habit of Mumbai's mill workers into a nationwide numbers game in the 1960s. Here is what is actually known about him, with the dates that reliable sources agree on.
Quick facts
| Born | around 1932, Karachi (then British India), into a Sindhi family |
|---|---|
| Moved to Mumbai | 1947, during Partition, as a teenager |
| Known for | 'Ratan Matka', the matka network linked with the Main Bazar game |
| Worked with | Kalyanji Bhagat, founder of Worli (Kalyan) Matka |
| Jail | about 19 months during the Emergency (1975–77) |
| Died | 9 May 2020 in Mumbai, aged 88 |
How Satta Matka started
Before Independence, people in Bombay bet on the opening and closing rates of cotton that came by teleprinter from the New York Cotton Exchange. This was called ankada jugar (figure gambling). Around 1961 those cotton rates stopped being sent, and bookies needed a new way to produce numbers.
The answer was the matka – an earthen pot. Slips or playing cards numbered 0–9 were drawn from the pot, and the drawn numbers decided the result. That is where the name Satta Matka comes from.
Kalyanji Bhagat and Kalyan Matka
Kalyanji Bhagat, a trader from Kutch, started Worli Matka in 1962. It ran every day and later became known as Kalyan, which is still the most followed market today. See today's Kalyan result and the Kalyan jodi chart.
Ratan Khatri's Ratan Matka
Ratan Khatri first worked with Kalyanji Bhagat and then started his own network in the early 1960s (sources give 1962 or 1964). His game, often called New Worli or Ratan Matka, ran Monday to Friday and is linked with the market known today as Main Bazar. He is widely credited with drawing three cards from a pot in front of people, which made results look fair and helped the game spread.
By the 1970s the business ran across India with crores of rupees bet every day. Khatri was jailed for about 19 months during the Emergency (1975–77). Police action in Mumbai in the 1990s pushed bookies out of the city, and Khatri stepped away from the business. He died at his home in Mumbai on 9 May 2020, aged 88.
In films and series
The Hindi film Dharmatma (1975) is said to be inspired by his life. The 2024 Telugu film Matka and the series Matka King are also based on the matka world of that era.
Is Satta Matka legal?
No. Betting on Satta Matka is illegal in most of India under the Public Gambling Act, 1867 and state gambling laws. MatkaPulse only publishes results and history for information. We do not take bets, sell tips or give 'fix' numbers.
Questions
Who was Ratan Khatri?
A Sindhi businessman from Karachi who moved to Mumbai in 1947 and ran Ratan Matka, one of India's biggest matka networks, from the 1960s. He is called the 'Matka King'.
Who started Kalyan Matka?
Kalyanji Bhagat started Worli Matka in 1962; it became known as Kalyan Matka.
When did Ratan Khatri die?
On 9 May 2020 in Mumbai, at the age of 88.
Why is it called matka?
Because the numbers were drawn from a matka (earthen pot).
