Arthur Lira, president of the Chamber of Deputies, expressed his doubts regarding the effectiveness of the proposals that seek to prohibit the use of Bolsa Família in betting. He argues that these proposals are ineffective because beneficiaries can simply withdraw the money and spend it on betting sites.
Furthermore, according to Lira, such measures only contribute to the stigmatization of beneficiaries of the social program. Thus, labeling them in a negative way without a real impact on curbing improper use of the benefit.
Lira believes that, instead of restricting the direct use of the benefit, a more effective approach would be to implement stricter rules for advertising by betting companies. He stated that he will be planning projects in this regard before the end of the year.
Its objective is to discuss and, possibly, approve projects that could reduce the incentive for excessive betting among the population.
Measures to prevent benefit for betting purposes
The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger, Wellington Dias, explained that the government has already taken measures to prevent the use of the Bolsa Família card in betting.
According to Dias, these measures are in the technical implementation phase. The minister highlighted that, in Brazil, there are 52 million bettors.
In a similar move, senator Eduardo Girão proposed a bill to prohibit the advertising of betting games by athletes and influencers. This proposal, which already has a report prepared, awaits a vote in the Senate Sports Committee.
Central Bank does not rule out flaws in its study on spending by Bolsa Família beneficiaries
It is worth noting that the Central Bank (BC) recently responded to concerns about its study which found that Bolsa Família beneficiaries had sent R$3 billion via Pix to sports betting websites.
The response, released by Folha de São Paulo through the Access to Information Law (LAI), did not rule out possible errors in the survey’s conclusions. The institution admitted not having prepared supporting documents for the technical note presented on September 24th.
The monetary authority made it clear that “there is no guarantee that identification is not subject to failure”. This raises concerns about the reliability of the conclusions presented. Furthermore, the analysis carried out did not consider important parameters, such as the prizes returned to bettors.
