The proposal from Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB) received a favorable vote from Senator Rodrigo Cunha (Podemos-AL). Bill 3,723/2021 now proceeds to the analysis of the Chamber of Deputies, unless there is a request for a Plenary vote.
"Evaluating here, mainly, the importance of security for the teams that are part of Timemania and for those that may enter, I consider this project extremely meritorious," said Vital do Rêgo.
The proposal amends the Timemania Law (11,345, of 2006) and the Lotteries Law (13,756, of 2018). The original text determined that all Timemania resources allocated to clubs would be distributed proportionally to the number of nominations made by bettors for their preferred teams.
Currently, the distribution criterion is determined by Decree 10,941, of 2022, according to which half of the resources will be distributed equally among all clubs, and the other half will follow the proportion of nominations made by the bettors. An amendment by Senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE), accepted by the rapporteur, reinstates this model.
He argues that basing the distribution of resources solely on the choice of bettors' favorite teams concentrates revenue on larger clubs, which have more supporters.
"If the current rule were changed to a distribution purely proportional to the 'heart team', Flamengo, Corinthians, and Palmeiras would increase their revenues by 57%, 49%, and 45%, respectively, while clubs like Volta Redonda, Luverdense, and Juazeirense would lose about 30% of their resources," Vieira explained in the justification of the proposed amendment.
The project also provides that the deadline for club membership will be reopened every two years by Caixa Econômica Federal so that new teams can participate in the contest.
In his report, Rodrigo Cunha emphasizes that the project does not imply additional budgetary costs for the State nor does it imply regulatory costs.
Football clubs
The Timemania Law aims to financially assist football clubs by offering installment plans for their tax and labor debts. It consists of a lottery contest that uses the clubs' brands and passes on to them, in return, 22% of the total collected from the draws. On bet slips, bettors can indicate their favorite club.
In 2022, the clubs were organized into two groups. The first group includes the teams from Series A, B, and C of the Brazilian Championship and the best-ranked in the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) ranking, up to a total of 80 teams. The second group consists of professional teams that participated in Timemania until 2021 but are not in the first group.
Currently, the resources are distributed as follows: 11% of the total collected in each draw is divided equally among all teams in the two groups, and 11% is distributed among the teams in the first group, proportionally to the bets indicated as "Heart Team." This is the model consolidated by the bill, with the amendment accepted by the rapporteur.
"We understand that the solution presented by Senator Alessandro Vieira consolidates a fairer distribution criterion, aiming to balance the allocation of resources, ensuring that a portion is distributed equally among all clubs, and the other half follows the proportionality of the sports entities most indicated by bettors as their preference," says Rodrigo Cunha.
Source: Senate Agency
