LEMG sets anti-money-laundering rules for lottery operators

The Minas Gerais State Lottery (LEMG) has set rules to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in lottery activity. The rules are contained in Portaria LEMG 23 of 13 October 2026, which the LEMG said supplements federal legislation. The portaria applies to companies operating lotteries under the LEMG's regulation, oversight or supervision.

Under the portaria, controls must take account of each company's size, the volume of operations and the risks involved, while respecting the rules of each lottery modality. Operators must keep an internal prevention policy with designated responsible officers and trained staff, and must monitor the conduct of partners and service providers involved in the activities under their responsibility.

Situations requiring attention include repeated prize redemptions by the same person outside the normal pattern, the splitting of cash movements across several operations and the frequent use of third parties to receive prizes. These cases must be analysed and recorded. Where the analysis indicates a situation that should be reported, the operator must inform the Council for Financial Activities Control (Coaf) confidentially.

Companies must also comply without delay with asset and funds freezing orders arising from sanctions of the United Nations Security Council. In traditional lotteries, the portaria does not require prior registration of all bettors; identification of winners continues to follow the situations and amounts set out in federal regulation, and the collection and use of that information must respect personal data protection rules.

The LEMG will monitor and supervise compliance with the rule and guarantees the right of defence in proceedings opened to investigate possible irregularities. Operators have 180 days from publication to adapt to the portaria, a period that does not suspend obligations already required by legislation. The portaria was published in the Diário Oficial de Minas Gerais.