The testimony was requested by the committee’s rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ). He claims that the country is facing technical difficulties in blocking illegal websites.

Ordinance 1,475/2024, from the Ministry of Finance, anticipated the possibility of blocking betting houses that did not undergo the due authorization process. According to the ordinance, as of October 1, 2024, the operation of the fixed-odds lottery modality by legal entities without authorization from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) was prohibited.

“However, it is known that there are technical difficulties in carrying out the blocking and preventing the return to operation of illegal websites. Among others, there is the issue of the use of virtual private networks (VPN) to circumvent the blocking. In this context, this committee intends to hear from the president of Anatel what the agency’s plans are to ensure the effectiveness of the legislation and protect consumers from the actions of illegal betting houses,” argues Romário.

Research

The committee will also hear from Renato de Oliveira Meirelles, president of the Locomotiva Institute. He was invited to explain the conclusions of a qualitative study on the demographic and psychographic profile of sports betting consumers. The study indicates that, in the last six months alone, approximately 25 million Brazilians have started placing sports bets.

Romário points out that, according to the study, “another worrying number is that 45% of Brazilians who place sports bets online, which corresponds to 23 million people, say that they have already caused financial losses. 37% of respondents say that they have already used money intended for more important things to place online bets.” Renato Meirelles’ testimony was also requested by the senator.

Requests

In addition to the testimonies, the committee is expected to vote on some requests, including one requesting the summoning of businessman Ede Vicente Ferreira Junior, who is under investigation for alleged involvement in fraud in soccer. Ede Vicente is one of the targets of Operation VAR, launched by the Consumer Crimes Division of Rio de Janeiro.

The operation is investigating the manipulation of results in matches of the Campeonato Carioca, especially in Série B matches, involving irregular bets originating in Asia.

Source: Agência Senado