This is an order made by José Raúl Mulino to Saquina Jaramillo, the new director of the National Lottery of Charity.
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 Lottery of Charity (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 Lottery of Charity 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 Lottery of Charity, which amounts to a total of USD117,000, and the operator also earns 2 percent of the gross sale."
"This is not business for the State. It's 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 making it a credible and charitable entity 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 Lottery of Charity, which is ours, of the Panamanian people. That is the direction of the action 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 2023.
Lombana filed a lawsuit for annulment against the contract signed by the National Lottery of Charity (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 the 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.
Singapore’s two casinos have been granted permission to introduce cashless gaming, but the use of cryptocurrencies remains prohibited.
Singapore.- Amendments to the Casino Control Act have gained parliamentary approval, tightening certain regulations and protections for vulnerable groups. The country’s two casinos will be allowed to introduce cashless gaming but cryptocurrencies will not be permitted due to concerns over money laundering.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) will retain the authority to regulate gaming software used on mobile devices within casino premises. The bill transfers the authority to authorise the primary stakeholders of casino operators from the GRA to the Minister for Home Affairs, which the government sees as more suited to “guarantee ongoing harmony between the integrated resorts (IRs) and the strategic goals of the Singapore government.”
