The minister clarified that the blocking of social program cards for payments to betting companies is occurring alongside the anticipated general ban on credit cards for online betting payments.
“We are working to ensure compliance with the rule, which applies to all cards, both credit and Bolsa Família, preventing their use for betting payments,” he explained.
“The measure is general, to avoid creating prejudice against the Bolsa Família card. The same rule that applies to all cards also applies to the Bolsa Família card,” said Minister Wellington Dias.
Regarding the Bolsa Família program, the minister stated that in addition to the general ban on credit cards, Caixa Econômica Federal will set a zero limit for payments to betting companies. Dias assured that legalized betting companies are helping the government by blocking their pages.
“The Bolsa Família card can be freely used for family necessities, such as food and other essentials. Certainly, gambling is not a necessity. To avoid creating prejudice against the Bolsa Família card, the same rule that applies to all cards also applies to the Bolsa Família card,” added the minister.
When asked about the start date for the block, the minister expressed his hope that it would happen “as soon as possible,” reiterating that the government is in dialogue with online betting companies.
Stigmatization
Referring to a Central Bank (BC) study, which showed that about 5 million Bolsa Família beneficiaries had placed R$ 3 billion in bets in August alone, Wellington Dias emphasized the need to avoid stigmatizing the social program.
“When we look at the entire Brazilian population, 52 million people gamble. When we look at the Bolsa Família audience, there are 3 million. In proportion, 52% of the general population and 17.5% of Bolsa Família beneficiaries participate in betting. Only 1.4% used the program's card,” Dias highlighted.
“My main concern is not to demonize Bolsa Família recipients or other social program beneficiaries.”
According to the latest update from the Ministry of Finance's Secretariat for Prizes and Betting, there are 98 companies, with 215 bets authorized to conduct fixed-odds betting across the national territory.
Another 26 companies are authorized to operate in specific states: five in Paraná, four in Maranhão, one in Minas Gerais, eight in Rio de Janeiro, and eight in Paraíba.
Regarding the 2,030 illegal companies and websites, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) began shutting down these pages last Friday. The regulatory agency notified around 21,000 telecommunications companies across the country to suspend access to the websites on the negative list.
Source: Monitor Mercantil
