According to the request, the CPI will also investigate the possible association of online betting companies “with criminal organizations involved in money laundering practices, as well as the use of digital influencers in the promotion and dissemination of these activities.”

The author, Senator Soraya Thronicke, said that the objective of the CPI is to analyze the practice of currency evasion and money laundering, and the influence of Brazilian personalities on the operation of betting programs.

The suspicion, the senator emphasized, is that the software is programmed to cause losses to bettors and always guarantee an exaggerated profit margin for companies. Soraya also highlighted the fact that addiction to online games is a silent addiction, unlike addiction to alcohol or illicit drugs.

“There is no point in closing our eyes to this problem. It is a fact. It is one of the main reasons for attempts against life and separations,” declared the senator, who also asked that the parties and blocs indicate the members of the CPI immediately.

The leader of the government in Congress, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, praised Senator Soraya Thronicke’s initiative. In Randolfe’s view, the issue of online gambling is not only an economic problem for families, but also a serious social and public health problem. He said he sees the CPI as a response from the Senate to Brazilian society and advocated a debate on the advertising of the so-called ‘Bets’. The senator is the author of a bill that addresses the issue.

Senator Jorge Seif supported the initiative of Senator Omar Aziz to request a report from the Central Bank with information on the spending of Bolsa Família beneficiaries on online gambling. According to Seif, it was from this request that awareness grew about the risks of addiction to digital gambling, especially for the less favored classes.

The CPI will only begin work with the nomination of its members, with no date yet set for this to happen. The committee will be made up of 11 full members and seven substitutes, to be nominated by party leaders.

Source: GMB