The Minister of Sports, André Fufuca, is seeking to appoint an ally to take over the Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance.
According to information from the website O Bastidor, Arthur Lira’s ally would have participated in the downfall of the Treasury’s special advisor, José Francisco Manssur. The Ministry of Finance denies this possibility.
Manssur acted as an advisor to the Treasury during discussions on the regulation of betting companies, actively participating in the negotiations.
Very strict betting rules can be a problem
Centrão is interested in this appointment due to the consideration that the law that regulates betting is very restrictive. The initial intention of those formulating the standards was to close loopholes that could facilitate corruption.
One example is the prohibition of bookmaker owners from participating in the management of football clubs.
But, this rule is not an impediment in other countries like the United Kingdom. Therefore, the new occupant of the position will be able to work to ease regulations in favor of the sector.
For now, a name to head the Treasury Betting Secretariat has not yet been defined. After Manssur left, the Ministry of Finance declared that he had resigned. However, he would have been surprised by his departure from office.
In turn, minister Fernando Haddad preferred not to confront Centrão, on whom he depends to approve important economic agendas for the Lula government
However, Treasury sources say that Haddad intends to closely monitor Fufuca’s nominee.
In summary, betting regulation is essential for Brazil, as it can:
- Provide an additional source of revenue for the government
- Fight illegality
- Promote the betting market
- Generate jobs
- Benefit Brazilian sport
The regulation of sports betting was approved by the National Congress in December last year, while the presidential sanction took place days later.
On February 23, the Treasury published an ordinance that defines the requirements and procedures relating to the recognition of the operational capacity of entities certifying betting systems.
