THE Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Norte (MPRN) filed Direct Unconstitutionality Actions (ADIs) at the Potiguar Court of Justice to challenge laws that established municipal lotteries in 17 cities in the state. The actions aim to prevent the creation of “municipal lotteries” used to support the exploitation of fixed-odd bets.
The contested laws belong to the municipalities of Encanto, Angicos, São Vicente, São Bento do Trairi, Lajes Pintadas, Tibau, Marcelino Vieira, Venha Ver, Portalegre, Itaú, Apodi, Coronel Ezequiel, Rafael Fernandes, Itajá, José da Penha, Jaçanã and São Tomé.
According to the MPRN, the rules are flagrantly unconstitutional as they invade the exclusive competence of the Union, which is the only one authorized to legislate and operate lottery and sweepstakes services, as determined by the Federal Constitution and reinforces Binding Precedent No. 2 of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
The actions also point out that the creation of these local lotteries generated an oversight vacuum, since the regulation and accreditation of betting operators are the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance, at the federal level. This gap, according to the agency, opens space for crimes such as money laundering, speculation, fraud and exploitation of illegal games.
The MPRN called for the immediate suspension of the validity and effectiveness of the laws in the 17 municipalities, as a precautionary measure, to prevent the continued irregular exploitation of betting and preserve public and economic order.
The previous week, the Public Prosecutor’s Office had already filed a similar action against Bodó Municipal Lawwhich created the LotSeridó lottery, seen as a model for other local initiatives of the same type.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
