Cibelae reports 35% membership growth and plans AI tool for 2027

Cibelae, the Corporación Iberoamericana de Loterías y Apuestas de Estado, said its membership grew 35% over the past two years, according to a statement. The organisation, which is marking its 38th anniversary, said its members now represent 87% of the Latin American lottery market.

Founded in 1988, Cibelae said it has a presence in 22 countries, groups 27 lotteries and operators, and brings together more than 60 associated companies. Javier Milián, president of Cibelae and of the Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia de El Salvador, sent a greeting to the entities and professionals in the organisation and stressed the importance of regional cooperation, according to the statement.

The organisation said it is preparing its own tool based on artificial intelligence to provide assistance and alerts to member lotteries. The initiative forms part of a technology agenda planned for 2027, which also covers analysis of new forms of taking bets, including prediction markets, the statement said.

Cibelae said it has six specialised commissions covering legal affairs, anti-money laundering, processes, products, corporate social responsibility and responsible gaming, and technology. More than 90 professionals take part in them, working on standards, management tools and training programmes for lotteries, according to the statement.

On anti-money laundering, Cibelae said 40% of its regular members have reached Level 1 of its technical standard, introduced in 2024, while work continues towards Level 2. The organisation also promotes World Lottery Association certifications in responsible gaming and information security, with the aim of easing compliance with international standards and reducing economic and technical barriers for member entities, it said.

Cibelae said another objective is to intensify the fight against illegal gambling through market studies, cooperation between bodies and awareness actions. On social responsibility, it said it continues to develop Loterías en Acción, a platform that collects projects and good practices to give visibility to the social contribution of public lottery operators.

The 2027 agenda is due to start in São Paulo with participation in BiS SiGMA, where illegal gambling, anti-money laundering, security and responsible gaming are to be addressed, according to the statement. In June, Buenos Aires is to host the III Seminario Iberoamericano de Marketing en Loterías, and the XX Congreso Cibelae is planned for November in San Juan de Puerto Rico, coinciding with a meeting of the World Lottery Association Executive Committee.