The former Secretary of Awards and Betting explained that it is simple to cross-reference data and prevent those who receive state aid from using those resources for online betting or other gambling activities.
Brazil.- In an interview with the local media EXAME, José Francisco Manssur, former Secretary of Awards and Betting of the Ministry of Finance and former special advisor to the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and one of the responsible for articulating the approval of the Law 14.790, stated that, as designed, the regulation of the sector will allow data crossing. In this way, it would be possible to assess whether those receiving Bolsa Familia or the Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC) are gambling and limit the access of these individuals.
“This is an important discussion. We will have a lot of information about the gamblers and perhaps it is necessary to discuss whether the beneficiaries of social programs, such as Bolsa Família or BPC, should have access to the betting market,” said Manssur. “It is not difficult to verify the data of these individuals, and it might be the case to create a limitation to protect these people, given their socioeconomic profile. This is an issue that can be improved in the future.”
According to a survey by Datafolha, published in January, 17 percent of Bolsa Família recipients have already gambled online, and 30 percent spend more than R$ 100 per month. Additionally, 60 percent of the program's bettors spend more than R$ 50 per month on betting. In December, Bolsa Família distributed an average of R$ 680.61 to more than 21 million families.
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Lawyer since 1998, Manssur has always worked in the area of sports law. He has worked with clubs, companies, and sports entities. In 2015, he proposed to Senator Rodrigo Pacheco the creation of the Football Corporation Law (SAF). His close relationship with Gabriel Galípolo, former executive secretary of Finance and nominated to assume the presidency of the Central Bank, was decisive in reaching the position of advisor to the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. There, he led the drafting of the betting regulations and worked with Congress for the approval of the project.
