In an effort to improve the functioning of public services, the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) has given the Ministry of Treasury 120 days to enable the operation of the Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA).
According to the Court, the actions will take place in the human resources and technology sectors and will have a budget compatible with the unit’s responsibilities. Initially, Minister Jhonatan de Jesus, the rapporteur, was going to vote in favor of recommending this course of action.
However, in Vital do Rêgo’s understanding, there is a need to expressly establish the determination. This is with the aim of improving the functioning of the Secretariat to prevent and combat money laundering in processes involving sports betting.
In October 2024, the president of the Court ordered several control actions to assess the betting market scenario in Brazil. According to the TCU’s assessment, the shortage of human resources reflects the worsening insufficiency of technological resources in the Secretariat.
On Wednesday (3), a recommendation to the Prizes and Betting Secretariat led to the production of operational manuals and other technical documents. In addition, routines were suggested regarding the main activities of its employees, such as the prevention of money laundering.
What are SPA’s areas of operation?
The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) is the body within the Ministry of Finance responsible for the areas of fixed-odds betting, commercial promotions, philanthropic raffles, lotteries, and advance collection of popular savings.
Therefore, its function is to authorize, grant, regulate, standardize, monitor, supervise, inspect, and sanction companies in the sector, in accordance with current legislation.
The Prizes and Betting Department is responsible for regulating various types of games and raffles, including:
- Fixed odds betting
- Lotteries with numerical, sports, and specific predictions.
- Competitions promoted by horse racing organizations.
- Free distribution of prizes as a promotional action.
- Early collection of popular savings.
