Mineira Lottery Welcomed Back to Brazilian Market
The Mineira Lottery is working together with the Minas Gerais Lottery Association to bring back commercial sales in Brazil. The two lottery groups had a meeting to discuss the future of their work in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais, last week. As a result, Mineira will be able to sell its own lottery game in lottery houses soon.
Mineira, Brazil will resume its lottery practice after twelve years’ hiatus. Danny Howe/Unsplash
A collaboration between lotteries
The recent meeting in Belo Horizonte over the Mineira Lottery was a public hearing. This step was necessary to bring back the lottery to the commercial market, as it gives the public a chance to learn about the proposed implementation of the lottery and its estimated effects on the community. It is also required for the operator to give public notice of its planned activities.
Now Mineira will be allowed to operate a physical lottery in Brazil known under the moniker LEMG. The Minas Gerais Lottery Association — also known as Sincoemg — will work with LEMG to bring these services to the public. This service has also been called Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) when it is used in lottery establishments.
Ronan Moreira, the general director of lotteries in the area, spoke about the importance of the industry for local economies. He explained that in Minas Gerais specifically, they have historically provided vital economic support via tax income. That income has been funneled into various social programs over the years.
The hope is of course that Mineira’s lottery will do the same for local projects. In the last three years of its existence, it offered a significant amount of income: a total of $15.2 million USD. Moreira seemed sure that the reintroduction of this particular lotto to the region, and collaboration with Sincoemg, will have many positive outcomes.
For example, Moreira explained that by working together, the two lottery organizations can take advantage of information-sharing and use the same infrastructure for selling their products. This provides logistical advantages and makes them both more appealing to potential distributors. He thinks that by working together, the lotteries will see even better revenue intake and stronger competitiveness within the industry.
The president of Sincoemg, Paulo César da Silva agreed with Moreira’s optimistic view. He added that the collaboration would also bring further diversity of gaming products to locals, and more chances to take part and win. The public meeting took place between da Silva, Moreira, lawyer Robstaine Costa, finance manager Cyntia Valle, and legal advisor Marco Vinício de Sá.
History of the Mineira Lottery
The Mineira Lottery, or Lotería Mineira, stopped operating a dozen years ago due to the end of a commercial contract. Despite general interest in the local government, renewal failed and it remained out of service until 2021. In that year, an Integrity Plan for the renewal of the lottery was made public.
It was proposed to modernize the pre-existing lottery regulations and to start offering lottery services in the area again, but it still took time for any concrete action to take place. First, a shortlist was made of potential operators. In May 2022, the lottery finally held a hearing for operators. Interesting parties made their bids and licenses were set to last for 20 year periods once offered.
