The final report of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) of Bets, presented this Tuesday (10), recommends the indictment of 16 people and companies, including digital influencers Virgínia Fonseca and Deolane Bezerra dos Santos, both with a large audience on social media.
According to the document by Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), rapporteur of the CPI das Bets, there are indications that both influencers have committed crimes such as fraud, money laundering, misleading advertising and use of betting platforms without legal authorization.
Bets CPI accuses Virgínia of simulating bets with fake accounts
During a hearing at the Bets CPI, Virgínia admitted to having used fictitious profiles to simulate online gambling, in which she appeared to win prizes from digital betting companies. Currently, the influencer has 52.9 million followers on one of her social networks.
Soraya Thronicke stated: “The performance of influencers on social media is not like any other advertising. It is based on the credibility that derives from the supposed real performance of these people. There is no doubt, therefore, that these unrealistic betting videos mislead their followers.”
According to the senator, the practice constitutes obtaining an undue advantage through misleading, which is a crime according to the Consumer Protection Code.
Bets CPI points out commission on loss of followers
The rapporteur also pointed out that Virgínia signed contracts with betting companies in which she would receive 30% of the losses accumulated by followers who accessed the sites through her links. This practice, nicknamed “the fee for other people’s misfortune”, was classified as abusive.
Soraya added that this type of agreement can lead influencers to overly encourage their followers to bet, taking advantage of the trust and admiration they arouse.
Despite Virgínia’s denial of this type of practice, the contract she submitted confirmed that she received this commission. In a video posted on social media, the influencer declared: “It’s making a lot of money! A follower clicked on the link, put in R$20 and won R$4,000. Hurry up, it’s only R$20 and you can play.”
The Bets CPI report also warns that these games, known as “tigrinho”, operate with algorithms that are not audited, which would allow the manipulation of results.
CPI also targets Deolane Bezerra for possible money laundering
The Bets CPI also proposed the indictment of Deolane Bezerra dos Santos, who has 21.5 million followers on a social network. She has already been arrested on charges of involvement with betting sites used for money laundering, which she denies.
According to the rapporteur, the platform associated with Deolane’s company does not have authorization from the Ministry of Finance to operate. Even so, the company’s Instagram page allegedly falsely stated that it had this permission, which would constitute fraud.
Deolane registered as a partner in the aforementioned betting company, but her name is currently not on the corporate board. However, Senator Soraya suspects that she still has ties to the company.
“The concealment of Deolane’s true status in the company, which was represented by possible ‘front men’, with payments made as advertising, could also constitute the crime of money laundering,” added the rapporteur.
Commission awaits response from the aforementioned influencers
As of the publication of this report, the two influencers had not yet commented on the request for indictment. Finally, Agência Brasil reported that it contacted Virgínia Fonseca and Deolane Bezerra dos Santos and is awaiting a response.
Click here to access the full Bets CPI report.
