After the government decided, for now, not to impose any restrictions, the matter will be debated in the Legislative Power.
Brazil.- Although the federal government of Lula da Silva was cautious about banning the use of the Bolsa Família card for gambling, fearing that the measure could be seen as discriminatory, the debate around this issue will take place in the Legislative Power. The return of the deputies to Brasilia this week, after the break for the first round of municipal elections, will be marked by projects to legislate this situation.
Reginaldo Lopes decided to present four bills, with the aim of creating a suitable framework that does not lend itself to misinterpretations. The deputy wants to prevent those registered in the CadÚnico, a federal government registry used as a reference for social programs, from being able to gamble, in addition to banning the advertising of betting houses. He also intends to limit gambling to 1 percent of the gambler's monthly income and require betting companies to distribute 85 percent of the income in prizes among the bettors, with no withdrawal limit.
“It is necessary to save Brazilian families from over-indebtedness, protect the Bolsa Família program, permanently combat hunger, and maintain the food security of families,” said Lopes, who then added: “I will fight to block the Bolsa Família card and apply a program of education and financial planning”.
The financial education suggested by the legislator would be for beneficiaries of federal government social programs. Lopes also advocates blocking the use of credit and debit cards in betting. Last week, the Brazilian Association of Credit and Service Card Companies (Abecs) announced, in an extraordinary meeting, the prohibition of payments for betting and online games using credit cards.
The president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, scheduled a deliberative session in the Chamber for today, Tuesday, October 8. It will then be when the deputies try to get their projects underway. Even if the proposals do not have much time to be processed, they can go directly to a vote in the plenary, without first going through the committees, if urgent requests are approved, which has become a hallmark of the Lira administration.
See also: Official warning: Lula da Silva will ban betting if the regulation is not effective in eradicating problem gambling
The deputy Tião Medeiros is another who tries to implement a project he recently introduced. The parliamentarian's proposal also prohibits those who are part of governmental social programs from using resources for online betting. The punishment for those who violate the rule would be the loss of the benefit. The parliamentarian also extends the prohibition to the spouses and dependents of the beneficiaries.
