Through this alliance, an observatory of the legal market on the illegal one will be created.
Brazil.- The president of the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), Plínio Lemos Jorge, met with the president of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), Carlos Baigorri, in Brasilia, to discuss measures that strengthen the effective fight against illegal betting in Brazil. In the meeting, negotiations began between the association and the regulatory body to develop a Technical Cooperation Agreement to improve the mechanisms that effectively interrupt the operation of clandestine betting platforms.
With the association, a kind of observatory of the legal market on the illegal one will be created. In this way, betting houses duly authorized by the Federal Government will be able to contribute to the preservation of the regulated market. All supervision and corresponding punitive actions, however, will continue to be the responsibility of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), of the Ministry of Finance.
“Our idea is, through this alliance, to create direct communication with Anatel, informing about the illegal websites we identify. The great challenge today, shared by President Baigorri, is to continue blocking these companies that are outside the law. The agency is already working diligently in this regard, and we are available to join forces in the fight against the parallel betting market,” stated Plínio Lemos Jorge.
The challenge mentioned by Plínio refers to the proliferation of illegal websites, even after the SPA's order to Anatel to proceed with the blockages. Through various mechanisms, the platforms can evade the intervention of the regulatory agency and remain available to any bettor. For the ANJL, this scenario represents a risk to the effectiveness of market regulation in Brazil. “There is no way to sustain an industry that follows all the rules set by the regulator and has to coexist with the existence and free activity of illegal platforms. A scenario like this would make market regulation ineffective, promoting an unfair, confusing, and dangerous environment for bettors in Brazil,” concludes Plínio.
In addition to Baigorri's expressions explaining the challenges of carrying out effective blockages of illegal sites, the superintendent of Supervision of Anatel, Gesilea Fonseca Teles, testified before the Parliamentary Commission of Investigation (CPI) of Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting. In her speech, the official stated, like Baigorri, that with the current legal framework there are limitations when it comes to proceeding with the blocking of all online betting sites that operate outside the law.
“To ensure that the regulatory framework for betting works, it is necessary to remove from the market the online betting sites that are outside the norms regulating the activity. Another suitable solution would be to expand the legal jurisdiction of Anatel, as a way to increase supervision of the sector,” explained Fonseca Teles.
Invited to testify before the commission, the official explained to the senators the role of Anatel in the fight against irregular betting. She highlighted that the entity actively participates in this process by assisting the Ministry of Finance, which is the administrative authority that has the power to indicate which websites should be blocked.
She also emphasized that Anatel cannot decide which website to block nor does it create a list. What the agency does is receive a list from the Ministry of Finance and, from there, communicates with the telecommunications service providers that provide mobile or fixed internet access.
“We communicate the decision taken by the Ministry of Finance that these telecommunications operators block specific websites previously listed by the ministry. It is very important to understand the role of Anatel. Anatel does not conduct an investigation, does not investigate which website is legal or illegal, it simply has the authority to inform Internet access providers to block the websites previously listed,” she clarified.
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She also highlighted the agility in communication between Anatel and the Ministry of Finance. “The communication between Anatel and the Ministry of Finance is fast. As soon as we receive the list, we immediately start the communication, transmitting the information to all providers,” she explained.
