The panel included experts on the subject, such as criminal lawyer Juliana Malafaia and tax lawyer Erlan Valverde. In addition to the legal representatives, the seminar was attended by the general coordinator of lotteries of Brazil’s Secretariat of Evaluation and Lottery (Secap) / Ministry of Economy, Bernardo Mota, and the general coordinator of financial intelligence of the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF), Rochelle Pasiani. Also participating in the debate were Pay4Fun CEO, Leonardo Baptista, and Amilton Noble, director of Hebara, who shared their experiences on payment methods and lottery operation.
The opening was in charge of lawyer Bárbara Teles, Secretary General of the OAB/DF Law Committee for Gaming, who gave the floor to the President of the Committee, Sergio Garcia, who started the seminar by explaining the different profiles of the Committee members, and how that makes debates more plural. “We have colleagues who are more interested in the lottery market and others interested in the sports betting market. So, the Committee brings together members who work in different areas of this market.”
The first guest to speak was Bernardo Mota, from the Lottery General Coordination of the Lottery Evaluation and Secretariat (SECAP), who presented the international panorama on the current situation of money laundering prevention in the gaming industry.
“I am very calm in saying that SECAP is currently acting as a regulator and applies exactly the same preventive measures against money laundering in the gaming industry, as, for example, the Central Bank applies to banks in Brazil,” Mota says.
The general coordinator of financial intelligence at the Council for the Control of Financial Activities (COAF), Rochelle Pasiani, took advantage of Bernardo Mota's hint to show how good money laundering prevention practices were used abroad. Rochelle explained the step-by-step taken to prevent this crime from being committed, and highlighted some warning signs. "Gaming accounts created simultaneously, same email pattern, opening documents with evidence of falsehood."
Criminal lawyer Juliana Malafaia continued the panel explaining how money laundering works from a criminal perspective. Juliana also highlighted the necessary activities in gaming houses so that this type of crime does not happen, and to maintain the well-being of her clients.
“First, it is essential to know the customer. Another behavior that already happens in other countries is the obligation of gaming houses to inform the customer when he is about to make a very risky bet, and bringing advertising informing that the game is addictive,” Malafaia explained.
Ending the discussion part of the crime prevention theme, tax lawyer Erlan Valverde brought to the debate the tax perspective, connecting the theme of gaming market with topics related to taxation and the digital economy. “Just as Brazil is not prepared for the digital economy, it is not prepared for this more liberalized gaming environment. So, Brazilian gaming legislation evolves as regulation evolves.”
Source: GMB
