President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke out, once again, last Thursday (17), about the online betting market, known as “bets”.
In an interview with Rádio Metrópole, while on a schedule in Salvador, he highlighted the importance of effective regulation to protect the mental and financial health of the population.
Lula comments on the importance of betting regulation
“I had a meeting with 14 ministries so we could discuss the issue of betting and we had an option, either it would end definitively or we would regulate it. We opted for regulation, and it seems to me that this week more than 2 thousand bets have already gone out of circulation”, stated Lula.
“We’ll see if regulation can handle it. If the regulation handles it, the problem will be solved, if it doesn’t handle it, I’m done, it’s very clear. Because you don’t have control over the humblest people, children with a cell phone in their hand making bets, we don’t want that”, concluded the president.
His speech reflects the government’s concern with a sector that is growing rapidly across the country, entering the final stretch of implementing the regulatory framework.
Recently, the Ministry of Treasury, in partnership with the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), worked to remove unauthorized betting sites and applications.
Therefore, so far, 98 companies and 215 bets are accredited to operate in Brazil until December, according to information from the Prizes and Bets Secretariat of the Ministry of Treasury.
Regulation is a necessary step, as it establishes clear guidelines for the functioning of the market. But companies that wish to operate must pay R$30 million to the Union, becoming a requirement from January 1, 2025.
Furthermore, a law sanctioned by Lula in December 2023 gave the Ministry of Treasury the task of authorizing and regulating betting. The Ministry of Sports is also involved in this mission, aiming to protect the integrity of national competitions.
Rules for the Brazilian sector
Current legislation establishes that platforms must follow strict criteria, including:
- Definition of responsible and fair gaming.
- Various certifications.
- Financial issues.
- Mandatory use of the financial system.
- Prohibition of the use of credit cards.
- Protection for minors and vulnerable people.
- Clear rules on advertising and operational procedures.
These measures aim not only to guarantee market integrity, but also to protect the consumer. A relevant requirement will be the registration of bettors’ CPF, facilitating the monitoring of their activity and promoting greater security in operations.
Public health under debate
Public health also occupies a central space in government discussions. On October 4, Lula met with ministers to discuss the impacts of betting on the financial and emotional lives of the population.
“There are a lot of people getting into debt, there are a lot of people spending what they don’t have. And we think that this has to be treated as a matter of dependency”, emphasized the president.
He highlighted his concern for Bolsa Família beneficiaries, warning that these amounts could end up being used for betting. In this context, new measures aimed at this population are being analyzed.
Data on the behavior of bettors is also on the agenda. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) will measure spending on betting in the Family Budget Survey (POF) 2024/2025, to be launched on November 5th.
