The implementation of blocking the use of Bolsa Família cards for the payment of sports betting is underway, said Minister of Development, Social Assistance and Hunger Alleviation, Wellington Dias, this Thursday (17). "This decision has already been adopted and now we are in the phase of technical implementation," declared Dias after a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad.
The minister clarified that the blocking of the social program cards for payments to bets is happening alongside the anticipation of the general prohibition of credit cards for electronic betting payments.
“We are working to ensure compliance with the rule, which applies to all cards, both credit and Bolsa Família, preventing their use for betting payments,” he explained.
“The measure is general, to avoid creating prejudice against the Bolsa Família card, the general measure that applies to all cards also applies to the Bolsa Família card,” said Dias.
In the case of Bolsa Família, the minister informed, in addition to the general prohibition for credit cards, Caixa Econômica Federal will set a zero limit for payments to betting houses. Dias assured that legalized bets are helping the government in the blocking on their pages.
“The Bolsa Família card has freedom of use for family needs, food, and others. Certainly, games are not a necessity. To avoid creating prejudice against the Bolsa Família card, the general measure that applies to all cards also applies to the Bolsa Família card,” the minister added.
Regarding a date for the start of the blocking, the minister said he hopes it will happen “as soon as possible,” reiterating that he maintains dialogue with electronic betting companies.
Stigmatization
Regarding the study by the Central Bank (BC), which indicated that about 5 million Bolsa Família beneficiaries would have R$ 3 billion in bets only in August, Wellington Dias said it is necessary to avoid stigmatizing the social program.
“When we look at the entire Brazilian population, there are 52 million people who gamble. When we look at the Bolsa Família audience, there are 3 million. When we make the proportion, it's 52% of the entire population and 17.5% of Bolsa Família beneficiaries who gamble. Only 1.4% of those used the program card,” highlighted Dias.
“All my concern is in not demonizing the audience of Bolsa Família and other social programs.”
According to the most recent update from the Ministry of Finance's Prizes and Betting Secretariat, there are 98 companies, with 215 bets authorized to explore fixed quota betting throughout the national territory.
Another 26 companies are authorized to operate only in some states: five in Paraná, four in Maranhão, one in Minas Gerais, eight in Rio de Janeiro, and eight in Paraíba.
Regarding the approximately 2,030 irregular companies and websites, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) began deactivating the pages last Friday. The regulatory agency notified about 21,000 telecommunications companies across the country to suspend access to the sites on the blacklist.
Source: Agência Brasil
