The Minas Gerais State Lottery (LEMG) has decided to halt the process of selecting the company that will operate lottery games in the state.
The cancellation of the International Public Tender (No. 002/2023) was made official last Friday (30) by the director-general of the agency, Onésimo Diniz Moreira.
Why did this happen
The decision was made due to the need for legal updates. The original process followed old laws (such as 8.666/93), but LEMG chose to reformulate it to comply with the new Bidding Law (No. 14.133/2021).
The technical team is already working on drafting a new call for proposals, which will be launched later this year, now fully aligned with current regulations.
What was at stake?
The terminated bidding process was broad. It provided for the concession to operate lottery games both in physical locations and in the digital environment.
The winning company would be responsible for the entire chain: strategic planning, game creation, conducting raffles, marketing, prize payments, and sales network management.
Modernization and transparency
The decision came after an internal legal review indicated that continuing with the old model was not worthwhile.
One of the crucial points was the need to change the judging criteria to “technique and price,” something that the original format did not accommodate well.
Following the recommendation of the State Attorney General’s Office (AGE), LEMG opted to terminate the process to ensure greater legal certainty and transparency, instead of attempting to patch up the old tender.
The history of the competition had also been hampered by legal challenges.
In May 2024, the process was suspended by the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais following a writ of mandamus filed by a company in the sector, which questioned the lack of responses to objections within the deadline.
With this stage definitively closed, the market now awaits the publication of the new notice in the Electronic Information System (SEI), which will initiate a new bidding process.
