In May last year, after the launch of an operation by the Public Ministry of Goiás and the Federal Police, dismantling a branch of the “betting mafia” that was involved in manipulating results in Brazilian football and abroad, the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) has entered into an agreement with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to protect the integrity of sports betting.
Recently, the Ministry of Treasury announced a series of agreements with integrity entities, such as IBIA itself. The ministry joined forces with Genius Sports, IBIA, Sport Integrity Global Alliance and Sportradar.
Bookmakers want public trust
The objective of the agreement is to collaborate in the development of activities that reinforce monitoring and prevent manipulation of results. After all, sports betting is a tempting invitation to easy money.
And it’s not just clubs that receive small fortunes in sponsorship from bookmakers that are surfing this new wave. There are other agents in the surrounding area who benefit from betting, as the IBIA reports point out.
“Reliability in sports entities and online betting houses must always be safeguarded, like the treasure it is for this chain that moves billions on a daily basis”, wrote Gilmar Ferreira in an article in Jornal Extra.
Since last Tuesday (5), Bruno Henrique, from Flamengo, made headlines due to the case being investigated. The striker is being accused of purposely receiving a yellow card in a Brazilian Championship match, in order to benefit family and friends.
The episode occurred on November 1, 2023, during the game between Flamengo and Santos in Brasília. The São Paulo team won 2-1, but in second-half stoppage time, Bruno Henrique received a yellow card after a foul. However, shortly afterwards, the player was sent off for offending the referee, as stated in the match summary.
Other Brazilian players go through the same situation
Unfortunately, Bruno Henrique’s case is not an isolated case involving a Brazilian player. The English Federation is investigating Lucas Paquetá, formerly of Flamengo and currently at West Ham, who is accused of intentionally receiving yellow cards in the Premier League to favor friends. Furthermore, Botafogo striker Luiz Henrique faces investigation in Spain for alleged manipulation of betting results.
Companies hired by the federations track suspicious movements in Brazil and abroad. Therefore, the investigation involving Bruno Henrique demonstrates the effectiveness of monitoring.
According to an editorial in the newspaper O GLOBO, betting companies themselves are the most interested in combating fraud, as they are the first to suffer losses.
“Those most interested in detecting and preventing fraud are the betting companies themselves, the bets, as they are the first to lose. Clubs and federations must also make efforts to ensure that criminal practices do not prosper”, says the O Globo publication.
