The bill also creates the State Lottery Fund, linked to Sefaz, which will receive the resources from bets. These resources will be allocated to areas such as public safety, affordable housing, science and technology, social security and the maintenance of the lottery services themselves.
During the vote, two amendments were approved: one allowing municipalities to create their own lotteries and another proposing an update to the percentages for distributing the resources.
The government expects the new state lottery to generate annual revenues of up to R$25 million (US$4.5m), based on the experience of other states. The project now awaits approval by Governor Fátima Bezerra and, once approved, the lottery is expected to begin operating in 2025.
To ensure the integrity of the system and promote responsible gaming, Sefaz will implement control mechanisms, including anti-fraud systems, restrictions on the participation of minors and compulsive gamblers, and will keep records of winners for at least five years.
How the state Lottery will work
According to the project, the state lottery will be able to operate numerical, specific and sports prediction contests, along the lines of federal lotteries, in addition to instant games — such as scratch cards — in physical or digital formats.
A special credit of R$3 million (US$532,000) is also planned to enable the implementation of the structure. The system will have security measures for physical and electronic tickets, combat fraud and promote responsible gaming. The games must follow lottery plans approved by the executive secretary of the State Revenue Service.
Prizes not claimed within 90 days after the draws will be returned to the State Lottery Fund.
Source: GMB
