On Tuesday (3), the CPI of Game Manipulation and Sports Betting heard from the Secretary of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, Regis Dudena. Lawmakers demanded measures to curb potential problems from games, and he stated that the secretariat is working to launch a campaign this year to raise awareness about gaming, and that starting next year, companies authorized to operate sports betting will also join the action.
In the first seven months of 2024, 25 million Brazilians started to make online bets. The data comes from a survey by the Locomotive Institute, conducted in the first week of August. The rapid growth of betting apps, or bets, concerns senators, who point out risks of addiction and indebtedness of the population.
The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Game Manipulation and Sports Betting (CPIMJAE) heard from the Secretary of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, Regis Dudena, and members of the committee demanded measures to curb potential problems from games.
Faced with questions from senators, Dudena stated that the secretariat is working to launch a campaign this year to raise awareness about gaming, and that starting next year, companies authorized to operate sports betting will also join the campaign.
“It is a direct demand from Minister Fernando Haddad. We are working on the first steps of this campaign so that the population understands that betting is mere entertainment and that potentially people will lose money,” said Secretary Régis Dudena after being questioned by the president of the CPI, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO).
According to a survey cited by the CPI rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ), 80% of people who bet have debts and 2% of the household budget of classes C, D, and E are compromised with bets.
Currently, the secretariat has ordinances to regulate the sector, as pointed out by Dudena. One of them establishes limits for logged time, among other measures to protect bettors and prevent over-indebtedness and problems related to game addiction. Also, 113 requests for authorization from companies to explore the sports betting market starting January 2025 are under review.
“We imposed on all those agents who want to operate in Brazil specific rules to know their bettors, monitor them, impose alerts in cases of game abuse, to impose time restrictions and, ultimately, create blocks for these bettors,” he pointed out.
Opposed to the legalization of games, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) stated that addiction to online betting can be compared to a public health epidemic. Like Girão, Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) lamented the growth of betting.
The voice of the consumer
Representative of the consumers of the betting market, Rodrigo Alves, president of the Brazilian Association of Sports Betting (Abaesp), defended the right of Brazilians to bet, but acknowledged potential risks. For Alves, one of the central problems lies in advertising.
“Cases of indebtedness, of problems come to us constantly. We are totally sensitive and agree that many today are going beyond limits, not even knowing their own limits, and, in large part, it is due to somewhat unbridled advertising. We strongly believe in regulation, because there is no non-gaming,” he said.
Regarding advertising, Regis Dudena pointed out that one of the ordinances stipulates that from January 1st all companies that do not have authorization will be prohibited from advertising or sponsorship.
“The Ministry of Finance, as the national regulatory body on the subject, will be able to notify companies to prohibit both the advertising of the companies and prohibit participants, that is, influencers, the so-called affiliates, from talking about unauthorized companies.”
Source: Senate Agency
