The Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia accelerated its technological transformation after being disconnected from its previous system provider, a situation that forced the institution to develop a new internal platform to maintain lottery draws, sales operations and administrative control over Panama’s main state-run lottery system. The move marks one of the country’s most significant recent public gaming modernization efforts and opens a new phase for the digitalization of Panama’s lottery market.
The development remains critical on May 19, 2026, amid administrative and structural changes within the LNB. Following the resignation of Saquina Jaramillo in January 2026, the institution advanced its operational restructuring under new leadership, with Isidro Carbonell taking office as Director General after being formally ratified by the National Assembly. This management transition remains deeply linked to the technological and operational stabilization process.
Ventura Vega Batista
Panama’s lottery system operates under state supervision and¡Error! Referencia de hipervínculo no válida. forms part of the broader regulatory ecosystem overseen by the Junta de Control de Juegos (JCJ) led by Ventura Vega Batista, the authority attached to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) led by Felipe Chapman, responsible for supervising casinos, betting operations, slot machines and gambling activities across the country. The main legal framework remains Decree Law No. 2 of February 10, 1998, legislation granting the Panamanian state exclusive authority over the operation and regulation of games of chance.
Felipe Chapman
The current transition does not yet involve a new gambling law, but it does represent a major operational shift. Panama is seeking to reduce technological dependence on third-party providers, strengthen traceability, secure uninterrupted lottery operations and prepare future digital integration for sales and internal controls. The broader objective is to protect public confidence, preserve the national lottery vendor network and safeguard social and charitable funding streams generated through lottery operations.
The modernization effort arrives at a strategic moment for Panama’s gaming industry, one of the most developed gambling markets in Central America for casinos and betting operations. The Junta de Control de Juegos continues supervising land-based operators and betting activities, while the LNB remains one of the country’s most visible public institutions due to its nationwide reach and longstanding social role.
The next phase will focus on stabilizing the new state-operated platform, reorganizing the lottery’s technological infrastructure and eventually expanding into more integrated digital processes for sales, auditing and operational monitoring of public gaming activities in Panama.
