According to the bill, the operation of the lottery service will be limited to the territory of Mato Grosso do Sul and will not be able to offer lottery modalities other than those available in federal legislation. The taking of bets may occur, according to the law, by physical or virtual means.
Governor Reinaldo Azambuja's justification is that the funds raised from the bets will be used in social security and in financing housing, sports, education or social development programs. Winning and unclaimed bets will also have the same fate.
From 2017 onwards, more than R$ 68 billion are collected with lotteries in Brazil, an activity restricted to the Union until the STF (Supreme Federal Court) overturned the federal monopoly in September last year, thus allowing the states to also have your own local lotteries.
Already states that even with the federal veto found loopholes to continue with active lotteries, cases of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. In Minas Gerais, the gambling sector generated in 2017 R$ 21.4 million to the state coffers, while for the Cariocas, the famous Loterj went further and guaranteed around R$ 200 million.
The promising numbers drew attention and made Mato Grosso do Sul start planning the return of its own lottery: Lotesul, extinct 15 years ago and which should return to increase state income. However, for now, the issue is still being treated as a project at an early stage and does not even have revenue projections, as explained by the head of Sefaz (Secretary of State for Finance, Felipe Mattos). The folder will be responsible for the lottery.
"It's difficult to talk about values, as we've been dealing with a lottery that has been deactivated for many years. It's been almost 20 years now. It's not possible to predict how many people will play. Today, the parameter we have is to look at these other states," he explains. In Rio Grande do Sul, where the idea of launching a lottery was raised in 2017, the projection was to reach between R$ 80 million and R$ 100 million. Bahia, São Paulo, Mato Grosso and Maranhão - which have already approved the project - also want their own lottery.
"It's not enough just to approve the law in the Assembly. We also have to know if the State itself is going to play, or if we're going to need to bid a company to carry out the operation, if we're going to outsource the exploration. It's all still very initial," reveals Mattos.
Already voted on and approved in the first discussion by the state deputies, the Lotesul project should undergo a new scrutiny of the representatives of Mato Grosso do Sul in the second semester, in the return of the recess of Alems (Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso do Sul), which begins in this Friday (16) until August 2nd.
"It will be voted in the second half, without haste and without urgency. It is a very interesting, legal project that can allocate resources to culture and other sectors," comments the President of the Legislative Assembly, Paulo Corrêa (PSDB).
The deputy also says that, given this scenario, additions to the original project should not find difficulties to be discussed either. "Whatever appears, we also put to the vote, democratic," he concludes.
In the project it is explained that the funds from the lottery, including those from unredeemed prizes, will be allocated to social security and the financing of social programs, housing, sports and education.
The complete regulation must be made by the State later, but the opening of additional credit of a maximum of R$ 146,000 is already foreseen, said as necessary to comply with the Law - which authorizes the Government to recreate the lottery, which by federal imposition only can be exercised in the State, even online.
Source: GMB
