Jonathan de Jesus, the reporter of the audit process for betting regulation, supported the stance that companies should participate in tenders, just as it happens with public works.
Brazil.- The minister of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), Jhonathan de Jesús, pointed out to the Ministry of Finance that the government entity is evaluating the need to conduct a public tender to grant authorizations for betting to operate regularly in the country.
One of the discussions led by the minister of the court of accounts is that the approved law does not specifically define the authorization model, which, in this legal gray area, could allow for the advancement of public tenders.
For de Jesús, the form anticipated in public administration presupposes the holding of a tender, like the projects for concession of infrastructures or public works.
According to current regulations, the Ministry of Finance conducts a control process of the qualified companies and, once approved, they only have to pay a fixed fee of R$ 30m (USD 4.9m) to the government and comply with the requirements imposed in the various regulations and ordinances that regulate the activity.
This demand from the minister is just the first of a series of measures that are expected to be required over the coming days. Jhonatan de Jesús is the reporter of the process at the TCU, which aims to understand and monitor the costs involved in public health, the impact on the purchasing power of families, and the actions proposed by the federal government to prevent, for example, money laundering, theft of bettors' data, and the involvement of minors.
See also: Online betting platforms in Brazil: irregularities reported in the authorization process
The minister affirmed that he seeks to get to the bottom of all issues, from the legal foundations of the pre-authorization of betting, to the authorization criteria; duties, responsibilities, and legal basis of the actions of each government body involved in the authorization (Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, Central Bank, others) and the way these various bodies work together to mitigate the risk of granting authorization to companies linked to organized crime.
