GMB – I would like you to evaluate this moment that Brazil is going through regarding allegations of match-fixing and sporting integrity.
Wesley Cardia – This theme has been debated around the world for a long time. In Brazil, it took shape due to the investigations that emerged in the state of Goiás. The important thing for us, the National Association of Gaming and Lotteries, is to make it very clear that betting companies are the main victims of this, as they end up paying the amounts to the bandits who carried out this type of manipulation.
We are absolutely in favor of investigations and that they be punished by the authorities and federative entities. This has to end. It is difficult? IT IS. But the ANJL wants to help the government and institutions so that this decreases as strongly as possible and this type of manipulation no longer exists.
The president of the CBF has already placed the entity at the disposal of the authorities and the Minister of Justice has placed the Federal Police on the trail of these criminal activities. Is it positive for the sector?
It is a very positive movement, because if there is manipulation, the bettor stops believing that what he is doing makes sense, as it gives a result different from what he imagined. We support the activities of the Ministry of Justice as much as we support and we are together with the CBF to find the best ways to curb this once and for all.
The association has just created a self-regulation of advertising. Are you also focusing on the gambler?
Yes, because we understand that the bettor has to receive the correct message to know that the bet has to be placed in a well thought out way and that no one can become a millionaire overnight by making a sports bet. This is entertainment, where he bets and wins or he may not win. You can't expect to get rich by betting on sports. We also don't want children and people prone to gambling to gamble. We will take care, in the advertising of bookmakers linked to the ANJL, so that it is as accurate and conscientious as possible.
In other words, does it add adequate publicity, a search for integrity and punishment to the manipulation of results?
This is the positioning of the ANJL. We want to punish anyone who practices or intends to manipulate results.
And what about the concern with the government's tax appetite, which could lead to a 30% tax for the operator?
This is something that we discussed a lot with the federal government during the preparation of the Provisional Measure that is about to be signed by President Lula. But everyone has their own vision. We think that taxation has to be lower and the government understood that these were the appropriate numbers. We’ll keep fighting to get that number down.
Is it possible in Congress to achieve this?
I believe so, and that we can convince deputies that if taxation is lower, government revenue will be greater. We want the government to collect as much as possible because, if it is collecting, the bookmakers will also be earning.
Source: Exclusive GMB
