The state of Acre, in the north of Brazil, has formally sanctioned legislation authorizing the creation of its first state-run lottery, following approval by the Legislative Assembly of Acre.
The law allows the Acre Government to explore lottery modalities already under federal legislation. According to the state executive, the initiative is intended to generate funding for social programs.
While the bill was approved in full by lawmakers, Governor Gladson Camelí vetoed one article before sanctioning the law.
The vetoed provision would have prohibited the promotion or accreditation of fixed-odds betting platforms, online games, electronic casinos and similar products.
The state government argued that such restrictions fall under federal jurisdiction, noting that fixed-odds betting has already been authorized nationwide.
As a result, the veto ensures the state lottery framework remains aligned with existing federal regulation and Supreme Court decisions recognizing states’ rights to operate their own lottery services.
Under the new law, the Acre state lottery may offer both physical and digital betting products, restricted to individuals aged 18 or over and limited to the state’s territory.
Lottery revenue, including unclaimed prizes, must be allocated to public policy areas such as social security, housing, food security, culture, leisure, tourism and social development, subject to future regulation.
The legislation also establishes that lottery operations may be conducted directly by the state or delegated to private operators through concessions or permissions, while regulatory oversight will remain with a designated public authority.
This body will be responsible for authorization, accreditation and supervision.
To strengthen controls, the law requires system audits, security measures against fraud and tampering, responsible gambling mechanisms and protections for vulnerable individuals.
The government believes the lottery is a tool to curb unregulated betting markets that operate without consumer protections or public oversight.
Brazilian lawmakers are also debating whether betting revenue should be used to fund income tax exemptions for teachers
