The Constitutional and Judicial Committee (CCJ) of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies has proposed a bill that would increase the penalties for manipulating sports events within Brazil. The bill, introduced by Bandeira de Mello and redrafted by Orlando Silva, aims to amend the country's "General Sports Law" ahead of the launch of regulated online gambling in Brazil.
The bill proposes to increase the current penalties of 2 to 6 years by half if the involved parties are referees, athletes, coaches, gamblers, or agents, managers, directors, or representatives of sports clubs. Additionally, those recruiting such individuals for manipulation will be sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison.
The bill has been approved by the Sports Committee and will now be submitted to the plenary session. It also requires approval from the Senate to become law. Silva stated, "Unfortunately, match-fixing is an old problem in sports. Therefore, what we need to do is propose changes, especially implementing stricter sanctions."
Meanwhile, the Paraná state lottery company Lottopar issued Decree No. 67/2024, prohibiting those who can influence the outcomes of sports events from participating in gambling. This ban applies to players, coaches, referees, and members of the administrative committee. The lottery company stated that this follows international best practices.
The newly established Brazilian gambling regulatory authority plans to start issuing online gambling licenses by the end of this year and launch the market in January 2025.
Last week, MGM Resorts International and Grupo Globo confirmed the establishment of a new joint venture to apply for a license for the BetMGM brand. They join seven other known operators applying for Brazilian gambling licenses: Betnacional, Kaizen's Betano, Superbet, Rei do Pitaco, Novibet, Sportingbet, and Big Brazil.
