Senator Romário, the rapporteur of the commission, proposes to toughen penalties and regulate betting on isolated events, as well as to promote legal actions against businessmen and Lucas Paquetá's uncle.
Brazil.- The final report of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting, which will be presented and voted on next Wednesday, March 19, brings with it strong proposals to combat irregularities in the sports field. Chaired by Senator Jorge Kajuru and with Romário as rapporteur, the CPI requests the judicial prosecution of Bruno Tolentino, uncle of the football player Lucas Paquetá, for manipulation of results. It also calls for the prosecution of businessmen William Pereira Rogatto and Thiago Chambó Andrade for the same crimes.
The document, however, exonerates businessman Bruno Lopez, who confessed his participation in the manipulation of games, thanks to an agreement signed with the Public Ministry. “This CPI has shown that virtually all recent scandals of competition manipulation were linked to betting on isolated events, especially those involving established athletes,” Romário highlighted in his report.
The senator emphasized that these specific bets facilitate manipulations by bettors and criminal groups without necessarily altering the final outcome of the matches. Therefore, he recommended restricting this practice and urged sports entities to educate athletes about current legislation and possible sanctions.
In addition to judicial processes, the report proposes a constitutional amendment and three bills to strengthen the fight against manipulation. The amendment seeks to compel any citizen to appear before the CPI, even using police force if necessary, a measure motivated by the decision of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that exempted influencer Deolane Bezerra from testifying in this investigation.
The first of the bills increases the penalty for fraud in sports events from four to ten years in prison, in addition to an economic fine. It also defines as a crime the fraud in the betting market, punishes athletes who share insider information to gain advantages, and prohibits the promotion of unreal winnings in betting. A second bill requires operators to include notices that discourage gambling and warn about its risks. Finally, the third project seeks to limit betting on isolated events within sports competitions.
All documentation generated by the CPI will be forwarded to the Federal Police and the Public Ministry of the Union to continue the investigations. It will also be shared with institutions such as the Civil House and the ministries of Finance, Justice, Sports, and Health, so that they can take measures in their respective areas.
