The last time physical roulette was legally operated in Brazil was in 1946, at the luxurious Copacabana Palace casino in Rio. Three months after assuming the Presidency of the Republic, General Eurico Gaspar Dutra decreed the end of gambling in the country by means of a decree-law, on the grounds that the practice was against morals and good customs.
Since then, the underground has supported the tradition of bingos and the joog do bicho, while cities like Las Vegas, USA, and Punta del Este, Uruguay, have entered the mandatory tourist route for fans of slot machines, roulette and blackjack. And what did the Brazilians do? Currently, they access more than 3,000 casinos authorized to operate in the virtual universe. In most cases, it's true, these sites fulfill their purpose, that of entertaining. But beware: in addition to the obvious risks related to gambling addiction, new fertile ground has opened up for scammers.
Online casinos do not violate Dutra's septuagenarian decree for one reason: the sites are hosted in countries where gambling is legal. It is, therefore, as if Brazilian users were betting on Malta, the United Kingdom or the Caribbean. The law obliges them to pay award taxes in Brazil – which in most cases does not happen. The games menu recreates the feeling of adrenaline that a parlor bet can provide, but with greater risks.
Problems abound. Student Matheus Rodrigues, 26, used to have fun at large sports betting houses, without any kind of inconvenience. In April 2021, however, he ventured into a smaller site, London-based StreamBet, owned by Ukrainians, which offered a 150% bonus to its followers. The young man from Paraná bet R$ 5,000 (US$ 1,000) and soon received a prize of R$ 60,000 (US$ 12,000) at roulette. He has been trying to make at least the minimum monthly withdrawal of R$ 15,000 (US$ 3,000) for more than a year.
When he called the customer service on the site, to which e-mails Veja had access, he received evasive responses, asking for patience because “the problem would be solved”. “They've even said that I didn't receive it, because I broke the rules, but without explaining which ones,” says Rodrigues. Veja tried to contact StreamBet, but also received requests to wait for an official response, in messages programmed and translated by a robot.
Complaints usually get on a road with no way out. “As they are websites hosted abroad, the Brazilian Justice has nothing to do and the cases tend to fall into limbo,” says Eduardo Diamante Teixeira, specialist in gaming websites at Carlezzo Advogados.
Consumer support channels such as ‘Reclame Aqui’ report another issue: the sale of courses, the so-called “mentoring”, which would result in a spectacular return on investment. “Be wary of any promise of guaranteed winnings, that doesn't exist in gambling,” says Luiz Felipe Maia, a partner at MyLaw Advogados, a specialist in casino regulation at the University of Las Vegas.
Trusted sites feature their governments' verification seals, compliance systems, and strict identity-proving policies. In any country, under 18s are prohibited from betting, but you have to be careful. “With so many apps, websites and social media available, the lines between what is a regular game and a game of chance have become increasingly blurred. It is critical that parents monitor their children's online presence," says Shelley White, CEO of the UK organization Responsible Gambling Council.
The Blaze website, one of the most sought after, takes advantage of this confusion with traditional games and, coupled with a super-vast menu of games with great graphics, attracts a legion of young users — as well as complaints that are difficult or impossible to resolve.
Behind the limbo, a bill is being discussed in the Senate to regulate gambling, which, according to its supporters, would generate more than R$ 15 billion (US$ 3b) in taxes and reduce fraud. The resistance of the evangelical bench hampers its approval. Anyway, whether in the real world or in the virtual one, you have to follow a premise: play for fun and never bet what you can't lose.
Source: Luiz Felipe Castro - Veja
