Bruno Henrique case demonstrates effectiveness in combating betting fraud
'Bets' are the main stakeholders in preventing manipulation and illicit favoritism of bettors
The operation launched yesterday by the Federal Police, with support from the Public Prosecutor's Office, at Flamengo neighborhood addresses demonstrates the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to curb fraud in the sports betting market, which is currently being regulated in Brazil. The main target was striker Bruno Henrique, suspected of having forced a yellow card in a Brazilian Championship match to benefit relatives and friends.
The incident occurred on November 1, 2023, in a match between Flamengo and Santos in Brasília (the São Paulo team won 2-1). In the second half's injury time, Bruno Henrique was shown a yellow card after a foul. He was then shown a red card for insulting the referee, according to the match report.
The investigation was initiated based on a communication from the CBF Integrity Unit, reports from the International Betting Integrity Association and the company Sportradar, which monitor the market. Data obtained from betting houses reveals suspicious guesses. In addition to Bruno Henrique himself, the Federal Police is investigating his brother, a sister-in-law, a cousin and residents of Belo Horizonte, his hometown.
The operation brought together more than 50 agents and served 12 search and seizure warrants, not only at Flamengo, but also at the player's home in Barra da Tijuca, at companies in which he is a partner and in cities such as Lagoa Santa, Ribeirão das Neves, Vespasiano and Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais.
With the expansion of betting around the world, suspicions of match-fixing have become frequent. Player Lucas Paquetá, formerly of Flamengo, currently at West Ham, is being investigated by the English Federation on charges of deliberately receiving yellow cards in Premier League games to benefit friends. Striker Luiz Henrique, from Botafogo, is the target of an investigation in Spain that is looking into match-fixing to defraud sports bets.
The issue gained momentum last year, with the discovery of a match-fixing scheme. Players were enticed by gangs to intentionally commit penalties or receive cards. The investigations by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás (the state where the case was discovered) reached not only Série B clubs, but also teams from the Brazilian soccer elite. In May of last year, 16 suspects were reported for fraud in matches of the Brazilian Championship and state championships.
Both in Brazil and abroad, companies hired by the federations track suspicious movements. Although they obviously do not catch 100% of the cases, the mere investigation of the episode involving Bruno Henrique proves the effectiveness of the monitoring.
The most interested parties in detecting and preventing fraud are the betting companies themselves, the 'bets', since they are the first to lose. Clubs and federations must also make an effort to prevent the criminal practice from prospering. It will be bad for football if fans believe that penalties and cards discussed at length in sports reports are nothing more than theater.
Source: O Globo
