Lira told allies that projects of this type do not prevent users from using the card to withdraw money and spend it separately on betting sites, in addition to stigmatizing beneficiaries of the social program.
The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Wellington Dias, said on Thursday (17) that the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has already decided to prevent the use of the Bolsa Família card to pay for betting sites.
According to the minister, the decision has already been adopted by the government and is in the implementation phase from a technical point of view. He stated that 52 million Brazilians are gamblers, 3 million of whom are Bolsa Família beneficiaries.
The digital newspaper anticipated in September that beneficiaries of the social program spent more than R$10 billion (US$ 1.75bn) with betting houses in 2024, R$3 billion (US$ 526m) of which in August alone.
At the time, in light of the growing debate about sports betting, congressmen massively presented bills to curb pathological betting.
The most advanced bill to date is that of Senator Eduardo Girão. The text prohibits athletes and influencers from advertising gambling. It was presented in July 2023, has a report and has been awaiting a vote in the Senate Sports Committee since April.
Source: Poder360
