From the Union of Ticket Sellers of Panama, there is a demand to proceed with the closure of the electronic lottery.
Panama.- More than three months after the request of the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, to end the electronic lottery of Panama, known as Lotto and Pega 3, there are still no updates on the closure, a situation that alarms the ticket sellers, who have been opposed to this modality since its appearance in October last year.
Fernando González, spokesperson for the Union of Ticket Sellers of Panama, told the local media Panama America that they are waiting for the electronic lottery closure process to be executed and added that it is still unknown how much the economic loss from the electronic lottery amounts to.
The spokesperson for the ticket sellers added that there are many mechanisms that the National Lottery of Charity (LNB Panama) could use to reduce electronic sales and strengthen the traditional draws, which are the ones that generate the most revenue for the entity.
According to González, the sales of the traditional lottery continue to deteriorate increasingly, a situation that is demonstrated in the returns made by the ticket sellers.
It is worth remembering that in July, President Mulino announced that he ordered Saquina Jaramillo, director of the National Lottery of Charity (LNB), to end the electronic lottery of 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 business, which this year generated a gross weekly sale of USD900,000.”
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Mulino 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 sum of USD117,000, and the operator also earns 2 percent of the gross sales.”
“This is not business for the State. It is business for someone, but not for the State. Thus, this institution will undergo 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.
