In the first seven months of 2024, 25 million Brazilians played on online betting sites. The data comes from a survey by the Locomotiva Institute, carried out during the first week of August.
Growth of online betting in Brazil
The rapid growth of online betting applications worries senators. Last Tuesday (03), the Parliamentary Commission for Investigating the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting (CPIMJAE) heard the Secretary of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance, Régis Dudena.
Deputies called for measures to limit potential gambling-related problems. In light of the senators’ questions, Dudena said that the secretariat is working to launch an awareness campaign about gaming this year.
Starting next year, companies licensed to operate sports betting will also have to adhere to this educational practice.
“This is a direct request from the minister [Fernando Haddad]. We are working on the first stages of this campaign so that the population understands that betting is just fun and that they run the risk of losing money”, said the secretary after being questioned by the president of the CPI, senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO).
Currently, the secretariat has ordinances to regulate the sector, as Dudena said. One of them imposes limits on connection time, among other measures that aim to protect players and prevent over-indebtedness and problems related to gaming addiction.
Regulatory measures
One hundred and fifteen requests from companies (at least 40 foreign) seek authorization to explore the sports betting market from January 2025.
“We decided for all these agents who want to come and work in Brazil, we established specific rules to get to know their bettors”, emphasized Dudena.
These rules include:
- Monitor bettors
- Set alarms in case of game abuse
- Establish time limits
- Create blocks for these bettors in case of debt
Representing the consumer in the betting market, Rodrigo Alves, president of the Brazilian Sports Association (Abaesp), defended the right of Brazilians to place bets online.
“Cases of debt and problems constantly come to us. We are completely sensitive and agree that many today are crossing the line. Or that they don’t even know their own limits, but this is partly to blame for the somewhat unrestrained advertising. Therefore, we strongly believe in regulation, because there is no such thing as non-gambling”, declared Rodrigo Alves.
Regarding advertising, Regis Dudena pointed out that only those authorized to operate in the market will be able to advertise from January 1st. Therefore, companies without authorization will not be able to advertise or hire influencers to advertise their services.
