09/26/2024 – 14:10
Senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE) announced this Thursday, the 26th, that he will file two bills to modify the legislation on online betting and gambling. The proposals seek to limit bets by people registered in the Single Registry (CadÚnico) and prohibit the advertising of bets throughout the national territory.
The first project proposes limiting the betting amounts of people registered with CadÚnico – used for the inclusion of low-income families in social programs, such as Bolsa Família -, the elderly and people with negative credit or active debts.
The proposal suggests to these groups “a limit on financial losses, whether in absolute value or percentage; restriction of monthly transfers to betting platforms and limitation of monthly amounts transferred, based on the income declared by the bettor”.
The justification for the project cites a study by the Central Bank that revealed that, in August, 5 million people from families receiving Bolsa Família benefits sent R$3 billion via Pix to betting platforms.
“We understand that Bolsa Família is an important benefit for income distribution. Although it is argued that families themselves know best how to use it, according to their specific needs, it cannot be denied that beneficiaries are in conditions of social vulnerability that require limitations on bets. It must be made clear that a bet is not an investment,” says the author of the proposal.
Advertising
The second bill, in turn, proposes a total ban on betting advertising throughout the country. The exception would be the display of advertising inside physical or virtual betting establishments, as long as it is accompanied by warning messages about the risks of gambling, in addition to educational information.
The proposal includes limiting bets by value, percentage of income and risk behavior, in addition to increasing taxation to 30% on net prizes. The law approved last year provides for a 15% tax on bettors on winnings exceeding R$2,112.
The bill also provides for harsher punishments for operators who fail to comply with the ban on under-18 betting.
“We understand that these measures restrict gambling activities without making them unviable, while at the same time providing greater benefits to the country by preventing addiction, debt and crime,” explains Vieira.
At the end of July, the Ministry of Finance published an ordinance with rules to prevent and punish abusive advertising and require betting companies to take action to combat addiction disorders – including the suspension of players with a “high risk of addiction”.
There are, however, no specific criteria for this classification, which would be up to each company – “as long as it meets the minimum requirements defined in the ordinance”, the ministry emphasizes. Furthermore, these rules will only come into effect in January 2025.
As shown by the Statethere are other initiatives on the subject in Congress. Congressman Luiz Gastão (PSD-CE) is collecting signatures to file a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that equates sports betting with alcoholic beverages, tobacco, pesticides and medicines, and imposes legal restrictions on commercial advertising in the sector, with the requirement to warn of the harmful effects.
#Senator #file #bill #limit #bets #registered #CadÚnico