The Court of Justice of São Paulo has ordered the seizure of funds from a gambler deposited in ten active accounts in betting sites to pay a debt to Santander. The case involves the owner of a transport company who owed R$ 719 to the bank, a debt that had been pursued for three years. To execute the sentence, the TJ found that the businessman had balances on betting sites and ordered the blocking of the amounts.
According to the process, the search for available funds in the accounts was only possible because the betting houses were regulated by the government. The businessman appealed and a decision has not yet been made.
According to experts, the account blocking in bets sets a precedent because, like current accounts in banks, brokerages, and real estate, the Judiciary starts to consider bets as another source of resources.
For lawyer Sérgio Pelcerman, a partner in the labor area of Almeida Prado Hoffmann Lawyers, as the regulation of bets progresses in the country, more creditors should include in their requests the blocking of betting accounts.
"What should happen already next year is that the databases of bets will be included in the Judiciary's search system and any invested amount, or that indicates some type of profit, will directly result in an execution", says Pelcerman.
Source: Folha