Finance Minister: 600 betting sites may be banned from Brazil
Up to 600 betting sites could be banned from Brazil in the next few days if they are in breach of legislation passed by Congress, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said Monday (Sep. 30).
The sites will have to be blocked by telecom watchdog Anatel. “The first step will be to ban unregulated betting sites from Brazil. Approximately 500 or 600 betting sites will go offline in the next few days, as Anatel is going to block access to them in Brazil,” the minister stated.
In an interview with CBN radio, the minister recommended that bettors withdraw their money immediately to avoid losses.
“If you have any money in a bookmaker, you should request to have it back now, because you have the right to have it refunded. We’re already warning everyone,” he added.
During the interview, the minister also said that the government will curb the abuse of betting by limiting the forms of payment and regulating ads. In addition, the ministry should monitor bets using Brazilians’ taxpayer number, the CPF.
“We’re going to monitor the development of bets and winnings CPF by CPF to avoid two things: those who bet a lot and win little are psychologically addicted to gambling, and those who bet little and win a lot are usually laundering money. We have to curb the problem, the aggravation of public health issues and the issue of organized crime that uses betting to launder money.”
In the case of advertising, the minister stressed it is “completely out of control,” adding that he will be meeting with organizations in the sector to discuss the issue.
“Just as we regulate smoking and alcoholic drinks, we have to be just as careful when it comes to gambling,” he argued.
