The president of the chamber, Arthur Lira, hinted that the situation could return to the chamber before the end of the year. Additionally, in the Senate, another similar project presented by Randolfe Rodrigues is being considered.
Brazil.- Although the Central Bank itself explained that the figures released could be erroneous, the data provided by the institution, which accounts for a spending of R$ 3.000m (USD 526m) through Pix to online sports betting companies by beneficiaries of the social plan Bolsa Família, led to new debates around the regulation of gambling in Brazil.
In this situation, the Lower House evaluates the possibility of legislating again on the advertising of betting houses in order to combat any insinuation of problematic gambling. The president of the chamber, Arthur Lira, seeks to propose a broad debate on the subject, especially due to the increase in the number of projects related to the topic that have been presented to the Chamber in recent months.
The deputies, for the moment, are focused on the municipal elections and none stated they were considering bringing this matter to debate, however, Lira is gathering support for his idea of legislating again on gambling advertising in Brazil.
Among the reasons for this idea that would lead to reopening the debate on something that was legislated less than a year ago, the concern of the federal government emerges, whose members, even President Lula da Silva himself, have shown their concerns about how it works and the consequences it can have.
“We will see if the regulation can handle it. If the regulation takes care of it, the problem will be solved. If it cannot withstand it, it will end. That has to be very clear. There is no control over the most humble people, children with a mobile in hand making bets. We don't want that,” declared on Metrópole radio, regarding the application of the Law 14.790.
While in the lower chamber the possibility of reopening the debate and uniting various parliamentary proposals into one to advance in its treatment is analyzed, a similar project is advancing in the Senate.
The Bill 3.563/2024 aims to curb the reach of advertising related to betting, in order to "reduce the damages to mental health and property caused by addiction to betting and online gambling," stated the author of the proposal, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues.
Bill 3.563/2024 modifies the laws that regulate online sports betting (Laws 13.756, from 2018, and 14.790, from 2023). Among the main changes are the prohibition of commercial exploitation of electoral bets and the prohibition of any form of advertising about betting in media such as radio, television, internet, and social networks. It is also planned to prohibit the pre-installation of betting applications on electronic devices.
According to the senator, the inertia of previous administrations in regulating betting, authorized in Brazil since 2018, created a situation of “legal distortion”. “Without proper regulation for five years, only this year, after the approval of Law 14.790, of 2023, through a project initiated by the Presidency of the Republic, were the norms that will now guide this market of bets and online games elaborated,” affirmed Rodrigues.
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“In recent months, numerous cases of abuses by betting operators that are not yet authorized and operate without rules,” added Rodrigues.
In justifying the project, the author reported that around 25 percent of the adult Brazilian population bets on online games, such as the so-called Tigrinho game and others similar. He also highlighted that the betting market has negatively impacted other sectors of the economy, such as clothing, personal hygiene products, and even food.
