The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting discusses this Tuesday (3) how the blocking of illegal betting sites works. The committee hears from Gesilea Fonseca Teles, superintendent of supervision at the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), with the goal of understanding the agency's strategies to combat the operation of irregular betting houses.
The testimony takes place at the request of the commission's rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ). He states that the country faces technical difficulties in blocking illegal sites.
Ordinance 1.475/2024, from the Ministry of Finance, anticipated the possibility of blocking betting houses that did not undergo the due authorization process. According to the ordinance, from October 1, 2024, the exploitation of the fixed quota betting lottery modality by legal entities without authorization from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) is prohibited.
“It is known, however, that there are technical difficulties in effecting the block and preventing the return to operation of illegal sites. Among others, there is the issue of using virtual private networks (VPN) to circumvent the blocks. In this context, this commission intends to hear from the president of Anatel what the agency's plans are to ensure the effectiveness of the legislation and protect consumers from the action of illegal betting houses”, argues Romário.
Research
The committee will also hear from Renato de Oliveira Meirelles, president of the Locomotive Institute. He was invited to explain the conclusions of a qualitative research on the demographic and psychographic profile of consumers of sports betting. The study indicates that, in just the last six months, about 25 million Brazilians have started to engage in sports betting.
Romário emphasizes that, according to the research, “another worrying number is that 45% of Brazilians who engage in online sports betting, which corresponds to 23 million people, state that it has already caused them financial losses. 37% of respondents say they have used money intended for more important things to make online bets”. The testimony of Renato Meirelles was also requested by the senator.
Requests
In addition to the testimonies, the commission must vote on some requests, including the one that requests the summons of businessman Ede Vicente Ferreira Junior, who is under investigation for alleged involvement in football frauds. Ede Vicente is one of the targets of Operation VAR, launched by the Consumer Crimes Police Station of Rio de Janeiro. The operation investigates the manipulation of results in games of the Carioca Championship, especially in Serie B matches, involving irregular bets originated in Asia.
Source: Senate Agency
