The administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decided to restrict public access to documents involving the release of bets in Brazil, applying confidentiality rules that could last up to a century.
By refusing requests supported by the Access to Information Law, the Ministry of Finance blocks the analysis of important technical opinions and prevents society from knowing how these companies corrected possible documentary errors or paid million-dollar grants.
In this way, this official shield also hides the true identity of the final beneficiaries who run these gaming platforms.
Why did the Treasury deny the data on the release of bets in the country
The controversial restriction gained strength after formal attempts by the press to obtain the full process from a company. The Treasury justified the refusal based on legal guidelines created to protect, mainly, the personal data of partners and platform administrators.
When asked about the possibility of making documents available while only hiding sensitive information, the Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA) claimed that this would require an administrative effort that was totally disproportionate given the current lack of employees to carry out the work.
Furthermore, on previous occasions, the department has argued that its internal systems do not even have the appropriate tools to guarantee the safe anonymity of specific sections.
President adopts tough tone and plans campaign against platforms
This bureaucratic protection happens at the exact moment when the Chief Executive himself adopts a strong speech against the sector that his government has just regulated.
During a recent interview, Lula stated that he intends to take the debate on banning these companies to his next election campaign.
“If it depends on the will of the President of the Republic, I will say during the campaign: I am in favor of ending all those bets that are not providing any useful service to this country”, he said.
He also justified the current maintenance of the legalized market by explaining the limitations of his role in the political game.
“I would ban them all. Why not ban them? I don’t own Brazil. In the same way that I say that Trump doesn’t own the world, I don’t own Brazil. I’m the president of the Republic. I’m part of a tripod of institutions that govern the country,” he stated.
On the other side of this discussion, gaming industry associations counter these statements by warning that the end of the legal market would not put an end to addiction, but would only push millions of users into dangerous hiding.