Carlos Baigorri, president of the National Telecommunications Agency of Brazil, stated that the government will need appropriate tools to ensure compliance.
Brazil.- In October, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) began a large-scale operation to block thousands of domains in Brazil belonging to unlicensed betting companies.
However, Anatel's president, Carlos Baigorri, affirmed yesterday that it is not possible to guarantee the effective blocking of illegal online betting houses. According to Baigorri, achieving this would require additional technological tools and, most importantly, a legislative reform that establishes harsher penalties for companies operating outside the law.
During a public hearing before the Supreme Federal Court (STF) this week, Baigorri pointed out that betting websites have various "ways to evade" the imposed restrictions: "Currently, the Brazilian state does not have the conditions to ensure that the blocking is effective," he expressed.
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The president of Anatel indicated that the landscape of the online betting market is clearly defined, and that betting sites and applications will continue to operate, even if the current legislation on betting is modified or repealed. According to Baigorri, the government will need to have appropriate tools to ensure compliance with the sector's regulations.
Furthermore, he highlighted the effort to expand Anatel's powers, in order to improve efficiency in blocking unauthorized platforms. In this context, he mentioned that a bill (PL) proposing changes in the agency's competencies had already been sent to the Senate.
Regarding the legal powers of Anatel, currently the agency has the authority to issue orders, supervise, and sanction telecommunications operators. Baigorri also stated that online betting houses are actors in the digital ecosystem outside the regulatory, supervisory, normative, and sanctioning control of the Brazilian state.
