Plínio Lemos Jorge, president of the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), assures that condemning the betting market as a whole has the power to equate rule-abiding houses with those that follow none. Read here the complete text by the sector's specialist lawyer published in the Open Space of the Estadão newspaper.
The media has echoed concerns from various sectors, including finance and retail, about the participation of bets in Brazilian expenses. Yes, it is true that the amount wagered has grown over the last five years, as it has in several other countries.
Since 2018, when sports betting was legalized in Brazil, thousands of sites have emerged. Many have disappeared from the map, but a huge number continued operating. Many, undoubtedly, without concern for correctness, compliance, or long-term business continuity.
The main reason for this market takeover by sites without any legal concern was the delay in regulation. The previous government did nothing to regulate the sector for four years. This situation would not be occurring if regulation had been implemented back then. The current government, on the other hand, has been building the infralegal base vigorously and with essential interaction with the operators.
The destructive criticisms from some sectors mentioned at the beginning of this article have made a fundamental mistake. Condemning the betting market as a whole has the power to equate rule-abiding houses with those that follow none, except the pursuit of easy gain.
Thousands of operators do not care about the profile of who plays, whether it be age, economic condition, or emotional state. Betting is not a way of life. It is not a path to fortune. It is merely entertainment, a means of leisure. Gambling has always existed in Brazil.
The first lottery dates back to 1784. In the 1970s, the Sports Lottery caused queues in front of lottery houses. As now, 50 years ago there were also those who prophesied that those bets would lead Brazilians to ruin.
But it is important to emphasize that the current detractors, most of the time poorly informed, by criticizing the system, raise a sinister hypothesis: the return to illegality. Which means that only unregulated bets would survive.
If legal and regulated gambling were banned, illegal gambling would take over the market. In this case, the current critics of a system that is about to be controlled and monitored would have to deal with the uncontrollable.
The Ministry of Finance has received, until the beginning of September, 113 applications for licensed operation in Brazil. When these companies start operating under the new rules, from January 1, 2025, the system will act to suppress sites without the bet.br address, leading to the purification of the market.
Until then, it is important that the critics of the moment review their messages. Firmly supporting regulation and the market presence only of houses that already prevent betting by minors and the use of credit cards and perverse promotions, which do not deceive bettors with promises of instant wealth and that use compliance tools to prevent economic crimes is the way to combat harmful practices.
The solution, therefore, is support for good regulation, because adverse criticism will lead us to a dire scenario.
Plínio Lemos Jorge
Lawyer and president of the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL)
