Ministries have joined forces to combat money laundering and related crimes in the fixed-odds betting sector and other lottery modalities. Thus, the Ministries of Treasury (MF), through the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA); and Justice and Public Security (MJSP), through the National Secretariat of Justice (Senajus), signed, on Wednesday (15), a Technical Cooperation Agreement (ACT).
With the partnership, SPA becomes the 64th public body to join the National Network of Technology Laboratories against Money Laundering (Rede-Lab). The Network is an institutional coordination program coordinated by the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation of Senajus.
The purpose of Rede-Lab is to create a collaborative environment for sharing technologies, methodologies, knowledge, research, and training. Its members’ goals include preventing, detecting, investigating, suppressing money laundering, and recovering assets.
The 63 public agencies that make up Rede-Lab include the Federal Revenue Service, the Federal Police, public prosecutors, the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), the Comptroller General’s Office (CGU), the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), and state civil police forces.
The SPA’s membership is legally supported by Laws No. 14,790/2023 and No. 9,613/1998; Decree No. 11,907/2024; and SPA/MF Ordinance No. 1,143/2024. The legislation grants the Secretariat the authority to monitor, inspect, and supervise activities related to the prevention and combat of money laundering, and to prevent related crimes in the fixed-odds betting sector and other lottery modalities.
SPA to combat money laundering in the betting and lottery sector
According to the SPA’s deputy secretary, Danielle Cardoso, “Rede-Lab is one of Brazil’s most important initiatives in the fight against money laundering. The SPA, which regulates an economic sector sensitive to this issue, will be able, with this agreement, to receive and make important contributions in this area,” she stated.
SPA’s integration with Rede-Lab brings SPA’s expertise in monitoring and overseeing fixed-odds lottery betting into Rede-Lab’s environment, as this is an emerging segment with a high risk of money laundering.
The integration also encourages the exchange of methodologies, allowing the SPA to access and contribute to the development of big data analysis tools, as well as techniques for financial intelligence analysis. Furthermore, it provides access to methodologies and best practices for its money laundering monitoring activities.
In terms of people management, this agreement will enable the technical training of SPA employees through training and workshops to exchange experiences. This will promote methodological and operational standardization with other Rede-Lab departments. The initiative aligns with the fight against the illegal betting market, one of SPA’s priorities.
