Panama seeks to penalize the clandestine sale of lottery tickets
Panamanian deputy Roberto Zúñiga presented a draft bill to criminalize the clandestine sale of tickets, chances, and other unauthorized lotteries, an activity that currently only incurs administrative penalties. The initiative seeks to allow these cases to be investigated by the Public Ministry and, at the same time, strengthen the sanctioning powers of the National Charity Lottery (Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia - LNB), in a context where the organization itself is pushing for stricter fines and greater controls over the illegal market.
According to data cited by Zúñiga and the LNB, the clandestine commercialization of lottery products generates losses of approximately 200 million dollars annually, funds that do not enter the State and could be allocated to social programs. In 2025, the institution transferred 95.8 million dollars to the National Treasury to finance charity initiatives, after recording official sales of 846.6 million. The legislator stated that the loss caused by the illegal market represents more than double what the lottery formally contributes to the State, and warned that diverted funds end up affecting the financing of social programs. He also argued that the initiative aims to protect the more than 10,000 authorized ticket vendors, whose incomes are reduced by competition from clandestine operators and the unauthorized sale of foreign lotteries.
In parallel with the legislative debate, the director of the LNB, Isidro Carbonell, announced the strengthening of inspection operations nationwide. During a tour of Plaza 5 de Mayo, he assured that the institution seeks to toughen existing sanctions, as currently municipalities can only impose fines of up to 5,000 dollars, and stated that the lottery is losing more than 100 million due to this situation. Carbonell announced that the LNB will present a proposal to the Ministry of Economy and Finance to increase fines and incorporate criminal penalties against those who illegally commercialize its products, and indicated that individuals promoting clandestine sales on social media have already been identified, some of whom are under investigation. The operations, he added, also seek to eliminate practices such as the sale of "billetes casados" (paired tickets) and protect the income of authorized vendors.
As part of market regulation, the LNB reminded the public that the official price of a chance is 0.25 dollars and a ticket is 1 dollar, so any higher charge constitutes an illegal practice. The entity urged citizens to report overcharging through Portal 311 Panamá, providing the location of the incident, the vendor's identification, the price charged, and, if possible, photographs or receipts. According to the institution, reports are anonymous, and citizen collaboration is key to combating both clandestine sales and irregularities in the commercialization of official products.
Tags: National Charity Lottery, Roberto Zúñiga, Isidro Carbonell, clandestine lottery sales in Panama, Panama lotteries