Haddad says he will “regulate” betting and blames Bolsonaro

After Banco do Brasil stated that betting companies could receive more than R$ 200 billion from Brazilian bettors, the Minister of Finance said: Fernando Haddad promises to “put order” relevant. In the statement made this Friday (27), Haddad also accused former president Jair Bolsonaro’s government of failing to act against the problem.

In his speech, the minister noted the need to regulate the betting market, something that President Lula also desires. “You can be assured that the government is paying attention and, despite this enormous delay, this negligence, it is time to bring order to this situation and protect the Brazilian family,” the note sent to the press said.

President Lula requested reinforcements from the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Ministries of Health, Social Development and Sports, to combat the illegality of betting shops, money laundering and gambling addiction. To achieve this, authorities must work to monitor CPFs and fines for unauthorized bets, which can reach R$2 billion.

Bolsonaro “sat on the problem”

In the statement made by Fernando Haddad, the minister also criticized the Bolsonaro government’s failure to take action regarding betting shops. According to Haddad, the former government had a responsibility to regulate betting, but did not do so and “sat on the problem as if it didn’t exist”.

It is worth remembering that betting houses were legalized by law No. 13,756/2018 at the end of Michel Temer’s term of office. The law established that the government would have two years to regulate betting, which could be extended for another two years, ending in 2022.

Today, the text on betting regulation has already been approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Starting in October, the Brazilian government will suspend all betting establishments that do not request permission to operate on national territory.