Bodó suspends Lotseridó operations after the Ministry of Finance identifies illegality in municipal betting.
The mayor of Bodó/RN suspended all activities of the Bodó Municipal Lottery (LOTSERIDÓ) after a technical note from the Ministry of Finance's Prizes and Bets Secretariat – SPA-MF pointed out irregularities in operations. The decision was taken on Friday (24) and affects all accreditations and contracts linked to municipal game notices.
Technical Note SEI No. 215/2025/MF, issued by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, concluded that municipalities do not have the authority to operate fixed-odds betting, an activity restricted to the Union, States, and the Federal District, according to Article 35-A of Federal Law No. 13.756/2018 and decisions of the Supreme Federal Court.
The document identified inconsistencies in LOTSERIDÓ's operations, particularly regarding the offering of fixed-odds betting and online games in violation of federal law. The suspension covers all operations stemming from Accreditation Notices No. 001/2024 and No. 002/2024.
Lotseridó, which refers to the name of the region (Seridó) where the municipality of 2,3 inhabitants is located, was sanctioned on July 3, 2024, and began operations in November of the same year. In total, 37 companies were accredited, with online casinos already operating on digital platforms.
In its official decision, the municipal Executive Branch mandated that the Municipal Attorney General's Office prepare a detailed legal opinion on five specific points. The first of these concerns the municipality's authority to operate lottery-related activities.
The legal advisors will also analyze the legality of the two accreditation notices and their respective operations. The opinion should address the legal effects of the suspension and possible administrative measures, including the potential revocation or annulment of the bidding processes.
The city government based its decision on the duty of the Public Administration to guarantee the legality, morality, transparency, and efficiency of administrative acts. The measure is precautionary in nature to prevent the continuation of possible irregularities.
Before the suspension, the Ministry of Finance had already stated that the activity was irregular, pointing out that authorizations granted by municipalities have no legal validity. The operation of fixed-odds betting, the popular "bets," was authorized by the Federal Government through Law No. 14.790/2023, establishing that only the Union, the states, and the Federal District can operate lotteries.
The city's Finance Secretary, Rômulo Lenine, had argued that the operation of the lottery was supported by the lack of any provision in the law that expressly prohibited municipal lotteries. "The position of the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Law on Bets, are being discussed in the Supreme Federal Court, which forwarded the matter to the Attorney General's Office, and it has not yet been decided by these bodies whether or not it is illegal," he stated previously.
The platforms accredited and operating under Lotseridó featured a typical online casino layout, including popular games like "Tiger" and "Airplane," as well as dozens of other options. Of the accredited companies, some had websites offline, and at least one, Bet do Jogo, had already ceased operations on September 30th of this year.
By law, the funds raised by Lotseridó should be allocated to financing actions in the areas of social assistance, culture, education, agriculture, human rights, tourism, sports, health, and public safety, with authorization to retain up to 30% of the annual amounts to cover any potential court-ordered payments.
After the legal opinion is completed, the process will return to the mayor for further deliberation, who will determine the final measures regarding the future of the municipal lottery.
