Zona de Azar Brasil – Brazil Bets: Senators Point Out Addiction Risk
Brazil.- September 5, 2024, www.zonadeazar.com. In the first seven months of 2024, 25 million Brazilians started betting online. These figures come from a survey conducted by the Locomotiva Institute in the first week of August. The rapid growth of betting apps, or “bets,” concerns senators, who point out the risks of addiction and indebtedness among the population.
This Tuesday (3), the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on Game and Sports Betting Manipulation (CPIMJAE) heard from the Secretary of Prizes and Bets at the Ministry of Finance, Regis Dudena. Parliamentarians demanded measures to curb potential problems associated with gaming.
In response to senators’ questions, Dudena stated that the ministry is working to launch a public awareness campaign about gaming this year and that, starting next year, companies authorized to operate sports betting will also be required to participate in the campaign.
— It is a direct request from the Minister [Fernando Haddad]. We are working on the first steps of this campaign so that the public understands that betting is merely entertainment and that people will likely lose money — said the secretary after an inquiry from the CPI president, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO).
According to a survey cited by the CPI rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ), 80% of people who bet are in debt, and 2% of the household budgets of classes C, D, and E are tied up in betting.
Currently, the ministry has regulations in place for the sector, as pointed out by Dudena. One of them sets limits on logged-in time, among other measures to protect bettors and prevent over-indebtedness and gambling-related issues. Additionally, 115 authorization requests from companies seeking to explore the sports betting market from January 2025 are under review.
— We have imposed specific rules on all agents who want to operate in Brazil: to know their bettors, monitor them, impose alerts in cases of gambling abuse, set time restrictions, and ultimately create blocks for these bettors — he pointed out.
Opposing the legalization of gambling, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) stated that online betting addiction can be compared to a public health epidemic.
— We are witnessing an unprecedented human tragedy, what is happening in Brazil with these bets. We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, the collective indebtedness — he said.
Like Girão, Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) lamented the growth of betting.
— It’s not just a calamity in Brazil. I recently read an article in the United States, where this is happening, and where gambling has been legalized for a long time. Unfortunately, as I say, sports have chosen betting. I hope that soon this will be reconsidered by sports themselves.
Rodrigo Alves, representing consumers in the betting market and president of the Brazilian Association of Sports Betting (Abaesp), defended the right of Brazilians to bet but acknowledged the potential risks. For Alves, one of the central problems lies in advertising.
— Cases of indebtedness and problems are constantly reported to us. We are entirely sensitive to this and agree that many people are exceeding their limits, not even knowing their own boundaries, and a large part of this is due to somewhat unrestrained advertising. We strongly believe in regulation because there is no such thing as no gambling — he said.
Regarding advertising, Regis Dudena pointed out that one of the regulations stipulates that starting January 1, all companies without authorization will be prohibited from advertising or sponsoring.
— The Ministry of Finance, as the national regulatory body, may notify companies to prohibit both the advertising of unauthorized companies and prevent influencers and affiliates from discussing these companies. Source: Senate Agency
Editor: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com
