THE Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Norte (MPRN) opened an investigation against an alleged irregular betting exploitation scheme that would have operated under the appearance of legality given by a municipal law of Bodóin the interior of the state. The investigation resulted in the granting of precautionary measures that determine the seizure, blocking and unavailability of assets worth up to R$145 million.
According to the MPRN, documents sent by Bodó City Hall reveal that companies linked to the scheme raised around R$415 million in just ten months of activity, with 2% of gross revenue — around R$8 million — being transferred to the municipality. The investigation also identified the use of “oranges”, people without financial capacity compatible with the amounts transacted.
The Public Ministry claims that the group used the LOTSERIDÓ municipal agency as a front to give an air of legitimacy to dozens of online betting platforms. Among the crimes investigated are money laundering, gambling, criminal association, induction into speculation and crimes against consumer relations.
In a note, Bodó City Hall reported that it only became aware of the case through the MP’s publication and said it had not received official notification. The municipality stated that it is available to collaborate with whatever is necessary.
On October 24, the city hall of Bodó announced the suspension of all activities of the Bodó Municipal Lottery, including accreditations, contracts and operations. The end of the lottery in the municipality of Potiguar occurred after a technical note from the Ministry of Finance point out a lack of municipal competence.
The MP argues that the urgency in precautionary measures is due to the risk of capital flight, tax evasion and dissipation of assets. For the agency, the operations are illegal because municipalities cannot legislate or operate betting and lottery services, an understanding already consolidated by the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
The investigations also indicate that some of the companies involved were fake, with non-existent addresses or registrations already downloaded from the Federal Revenue Service. Furthermore, the group would have used institutional digital forgery such as inserting codes on websites with “.gov.br” and “.edu.br” domains. According to the MP, the use would be to create false credibility and deceive consumers.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
