A technical cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Health and Finance is under review to implement actions to prevent harm caused by compulsive gambling. The process involves the Secretariats of Prizes and Betting (
According to the cooperation agreement, the objective is for the agencies to exchange information and data to support specific actions that propose best practices for betting operators, with regard to player support.
Furthermore, the proposal calls for the development of informational and training materials on the betting market. This is done from a mental health perspective and also envisions the creation of a direct communication channel between the departments, in addition to the dissemination of training courses on the subject.
How can a cooperation agreement protect the mental health of gamblers?
The idea of developing a cooperation agreement arose from the need to identify and implement measures to protect the mental health of bettors “in the face of the vertiginous growth of the fixed-odds lottery modality throughout the country,” indicating the work plan on the subject.
According to the text of the cooperation agreement, the objective is to promote mental health care for gamblers. “It also aims at the adequate addressing of mental health care in Brazil, through joint actions by the Union agencies mentioned here that have an interest in promoting responsible and sustainable mental health care for consumer-gamblers.”
However, the agreement provides for the monitoring and sharing of data on the behavior of bettors and their demands, within the scope of mental health. According to the Union,
