Deputies Erika Kokay (PT/DF) and Tadeu Veneri (PT/PR) are seeking clarification on the possibility of transferring lottery operations to a subsidiary of Caixa Econômica Federal.
The request was filed last Wednesday (20) with the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad. The document highlights the concern about the impacts of this measure on Caixa’s social role and on the social areas benefiting from lottery collections.
The parliamentarians’ initiative comes amid warnings from the president of the National Federation of Caixa Econômica Federal Staff Associations (Fenae), Sergio Takemoto, about the losses that this transfer could cause to society.
Takemoto highlighted that around 40% of lottery proceeds are invested in fundamental areas such as health, safety and education. Furthermore, he highlighted the dangers of a disguised privatization, which would weaken Caixa’s social role.
Deputies question the legality of action involving Caixa lotteries
In the request, the deputies question the motivation and legality of the transfer, in addition to the socioeconomic impact of the measure. Parliamentarians also want to know what will be the destination of the resources raised by Caixa through lottery services.
After all, lotteries play an important role in reducing social inequalities in the country.
The document also mentions the history of attacks on lotteries. This includes previous attempts at privatization, reinforcing the need to protect this important instrument for promoting social well-being in Brazil.
There have been previous attempts to change the management of lotteries in Brazil. In 2019, for example, the federal government even studied the possibility of privatizing Lotex, also known as “scratch card”.
Caixa Econômica Federal manages this type of lottery, one of the most popular in Brazil.
But the Lotex privatization process was not completed and it remained under state control. Remembering that the scratch card modality should be relaunched by Caixa soon.