This is a request made by José Raúl Mulino to Saquina Jaramillo, the new director of the National Charity Lottery.
Panama.- The electronic lottery has been in the eye of the storm since its launch in October, but this time the conflict escalated to such an extent that it is most likely to disappear soon. The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, recently announced that he ordered Saquina Jaramillo, the new director of the National Charity Lottery (LNB), to end the electronic lottery in Panama, known as Lotto and Pega 3.
"Regarding the electronic lottery, I have asked the director to start taking measures so that our National Charity Lottery focuses on the traditional draws of Miércolito, Dominguito, and the Gordito del Zodiaco," Mulino expressed in a press conference.
And he added: "The rest is over, which only serves to diminish the efficiency of our lottery, benefiting some who profit from the electronic lottery theme, which this year generated a gross weekly sale of USD900,000."
Mulino detailed that the LNB reports a return of 27 percent this month, six percentage points less than last month, and he described it as a high value.
The official also recalled that there are 13,500 ticket sellers in the country and stated: "the commission of the ticket sellers is 12.5 percent, a bit more than that of the National Charity Lottery, which amounts to a total of USD117,000, and the operator also earns 2 percent of the gross sale."
"This is not a business for the State. It's a business for someone, but not for the State. So this institution will be subjected to an efficient, transparent, and honest transformation, with the aim of turning it back into an entity with credibility and charity for the Panamanian people," Mulino opined.
Regarding the beneficiaries of the electronic lottery, Mulino only mentioned the company Scientific Games during the press conference, without detailing names of individuals.
"But the problem is not so much the final beneficiaries, but the cost in terms of reduced income and benefits for the National Charity Lottery, which is ours, of the Panamanian people. That is where the action is directed and soon I hope to close the gaps that affect the profitability of our lottery. I am working on this," he concluded.
See also: Panamanians allocated USD 1.375m to gambling in the first five months of 2024
The electronic lottery in Panama has faced several lawsuits before the Justice. One of them was filed by the former presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana in October of 2023.
Lombana filed a lawsuit for the annulment of the contract signed by the National Charity Lottery (LNB) for the implementation of the electronic lottery before the Third Chamber of Administrative and Labor Contentious of the Supreme Court of Justice. His intention was the provisional suspension of the new gambling games.
Recently, the electronic lottery was sued before the Supreme Court of Justice for alleged irregularities in the extension of the contract. In total, there are three lawsuits that support a series of illegalities, presented by the lawyers Pedro Meilán, Ramón Jaén, and the firm Alemán Cordero, Galindo, and Lee.
"You cannot extend a contract that was through a public tender and that does not establish in its regulations that it can be extendable. The only way to do it is by achieving certain special requirements that were not met here, and the amount to extend in the contract must be less than the current amount," explained lawyer Meilán, one of the plaintiffs to Panamá América.
According to Meilán, there were four violations of the contract: the first is the extension of the validity of the contract to 10 years; the second is that it alters and modifies the object of the contract; the third is that it alters and modifies the obligations of the contractor; and, finally, it increases the percentages and exempts from the tax.
"This is done solely and exclusively to avoid a new public tender process, which is totally contrary to the law, because all state acts must go to public tender. They created this addendum number five and included certain things to try to extend the contract," explained Meilán.
