The Senate Sports Committee (CEsp) meets this Wednesday, 4th, at 10:30 am, to vote on seven non-terminative projects, in addition to three requests.
One of the projects on the agenda, by senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), seeks to prohibit, in sports betting advertising, the participation of people considered celebrities or those with power to influence bettors, including athletes, presenters and commentators (PL 3.405/ 2023).
The rapporteur, senator Sérgio Petecão (PSD-AC), recommended approval of the proposal.
For Girão, since the entry into force of Law 13,756, of 2018, which released the fixed-odd betting lottery, “the virtual environment has transformed, ironically, into a kind of lawless land, where not only the harmful sports betting, but also a range of illegal gambling and other fraudulent activities.”
The parliamentarian expressed concern about the expansion of gaming addiction, enhanced by internet betting, and associated the practice with crimes such as money laundering, tax evasion and revenue evasion, for which the available technological tools do not guarantee sufficient oversight.
“We propose that people who have the power to influence the behavior of other people are prohibited from carrying out any type of advertising or advertising for bets relating to real sports-themed events.”
“This is what can be done, given the current situation, to try to at least protect ordinary citizens from possible emotional or financial damages that may result from the repeated practice of betting activities”, concluded the senator.
Rapporteur cites UK precedent to restrict sports betting advertising
Sérgio Petecão recalled that the Constitution establishes powers to restrict the advertising of certain products and services and maintains that the use of the image of sports celebrities contributed to the “normalization” of the practice of sports betting, which leaves fans “exposed to fallacious speeches that refer to risk-free fun and the possibility of getting rich quickly.”
He cited UK precedent which, in 2022, banned the participation of professional gamblers, celebrities and social media influencers in betting advertisements.
Petecão offered a substitute to improve legislative technique and adapt to Provisional Measure 1,182/2023, which modified the rules on operating the fixed-odd betting lottery.
The proposal will be examined by the Communication and Digital Law Commission (CCDD), whose decision is final.
Timemania
Another project on the agenda (PL 3,723/2021) reestablishes the distribution of Timemania resources according to the indication of teams preferred by bettors.
The text by senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB) received a favorable vote from the rapporteur, senator Romário (PL-RJ).
Timemania is a lottery competition that uses the clubs’ brands and, in return, transfers 22% of the total collected from the draws to them.
On betting slips, bettors can indicate their favorite club. The project amends Law 11,345, of 2006, to determine that all Timemania resources allocated to clubs will be distributed among participants in proportion to the number of nominations made by bettors.
Currently the distribution criteria is determined by Decree 10,941, of 2022, according to which half of the resources will be distributed equally among all clubs and half will follow the proportion of nominations made by bettors.
The project also foresees that the deadline for clubs to join will be reopened every two years by Caixa Econômica Federal so that new teams can participate in the competition.
For Veneziano, the distribution of resources according to the bettors’ preferences “is the main factor in Timemania’s success”.
In the same sense, Romário says in his report that the project “seeks to guarantee the very existence of this lottery modality, protecting the modality from changes made by regulation, whose criteria are not sufficiently debated”.
After analysis by CEsp, the project will be voted on by the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE) in a final decision.
