The president Lula (PT) argued that the high rate of participation of Brazilians in bets online – as bets – be treated as “a question of dependency” and indicated, this Thursday 3rd, that the Ministry of Finance should present proposals on the topic in the coming weeks.
“There are a lot of people getting into debt, spending what they don’t have,” said the PT member at a meeting at Palácio do Planalto. “We think this has to be treated as a matter of dependence, that is, people are dependent, they are addicted.”
Lula stated that his government has been trying to take care of the matter since the beginning of 2023 through regulation, as the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) “did absolutely nothing” about it.
A meeting took place behind closed doors, but the initial statements by the PT member and the minister Fernando Haddad (PT) were released by the Presidency’s Communication Secretariat. At the meeting, the head of Finance demanded the participation of colleagues in discussions on how to curb the practice and announced the banning of two thousand websites in the segment.
The meeting was attended by vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) and ministers Wellington Dias (Social Development), Nísia Trindade (Health), Rui Costa (Civil House) and Ricardo Lewandowski (Justice and Public Security). The Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, and the director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigueswere also present.
Sports betting online They were authorized in 2018, at the end of Michel Temer’s (MDB) government, but only underwent regulation under Lula’s management.
The debate surrounding the bets gained strength after a study produced by the BC showed that around 24 million individuals participate in gambling and betting not Country.
Among the beneficiaries of Bolsa Famíliathe main income transfer program, more than 5 million users allocated money to virtual betting houses in August alone. More than 3 billion were spent during this period – an amount that corresponds to 20% of the total amount transferred by the program.
The BC estimate considers consumers who made at least one transfer via Pix for these companies in August. The vast majority of gamblers are between 20 and 30 years old, the report points out.
The average monthly value of transfers increases with age. For younger people, contributions reach 100 reais per month. The older ones allocate more than 3 thousand reais each month.
So far, the Treasury reported that 205 bets are authorized to operate in the country until the end of the year. There are also 18 sites approved only at the state level. The others cannot offer games to Brazilians and will have their sites blocked in a few days.
