Colombian authorities have launched an emergency audit into the state’s Medellín Lottery over conflict of interest allegations.
The lottery’s COP 16bn (£3m) May jackpot was won by none other than the wife of the former Medellín Lottery Deputy Manager, Rubén Callejas.
While Callejas himself handed in his resignation shortly after the draw, the question of whether the lottery’s integrity had been compromised remains.
Colombia’s National Council for Games of Luck and Chance (CNJSA) has now opened an official investigation into the matter, backed by the country’s gambling regulator, Coljuegos.
CNJSA officials will travel to the city of Medellín to visit the lottery’s headquarters, with the inspection authorised by Coljuegos President Marco Emilio Hincapié Ramírez.
“Officials will travel to the city of Medellín to give clarity to citizens about the conditions in which this draw was carried out,” the CNJSA shared in a statement.
The case gained wide-spread popularity, prompting a response from Colombia’s President, Gustavo Petro, who shared the news on Twitter with his 8.2 million followers.
“Is this true? Disciplinary and criminal courts should provide us with information,” Petro said.
Interestingly, the case represents the latest in a series of blunders caused by high profile lotteries across a number of continents.
Prior to South America, the spotlight was and still is on South Africa’s national lottery licence fiasco. The awarding process has been embroiled in controversy due to allegations that the government is favoring the commercial interests of one of the major contenders for the licence.
The former leadership of South Africa’s National Lottery Commission is also under investigation of allegedly misusing lottery proceeds for personal benefits.
Earlier this year in Europe, the whole executive staff in charge of Bulgaria’s national lottery was axed due to a blunder on live TV where a number was drawn in a game that was not supposed to be there.