During the Future Summit in New York, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva commented on the situation of betting in Brazil and stated the need to accelerate the regulation of the issue. For him, the measure will help contain the indebtedness of the country's poorest families. "Brazil has always been against casinos, any type of gambling. Today, through a cellphone, gambling is inside the family's home, in the living room and it's a problem that we will have to regulate," he said.
President Lula's statement was made during the event "In defense of democracy, combating extremism", at the UN headquarters in New York on the occasion of the Future Summit. The meeting was promoted by Brazil and Spain.
The release of fixed-odds betting occurred in 2018, at the end of Michel Temer's government. However, in recent months, the topic has gained prominence due to the increase in bets made by Brazilians.
A survey by the Central Bank (BC) pointed out that, only in August, beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família spent R$ 3 billion on bets (electronic betting companies) via Pix. The study was requested by Senator Omar Aziz (PSD-AM).
Commenting on the situation, Lula recalled that Brazil has always had laws against casinos and betting houses. "Brazil has always been against casinos, any type of gambling. Today, through a cellphone, gambling is inside the family's home, in the living room," said Lula.
"We are noticing in Brazil the indebtedness of the poorest people trying to make money by betting. It's a problem that we will have to regulate," he stated.
The statement was made at the event "In defense of democracy: fighting against extremism", held in New York (USA) and organized by Lula and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez (Psoe, center-left).
For the Brazilian Executive Chief, the growing problem in gambling games is the monetization based on "lies". "We are seeing madness. The monetization of lies through the digital network. With people becoming billionaires, millionaires. What we are seeing in a country like Brazil are the betting games," he declared.
The leftist also said that the promotion of this type of betting is based on lies: "We are seeing madness. The monetization of lies through the digital network. With people becoming billionaires, millionaires. What we are seeing in a country like Brazil are the betting games."
The data shows that the average expenditure by Bolsa Família beneficiaries was R$ 1.31 billion per month, or R$ 147 per person. Of these betting individuals, 5.4 million (60.5%) are heads of family – who actually receive the benefit – and sent R$ 6.23 billion (59.3%) via Pix to the bets.
Source: GMB
