A precautionary measure from the TCU, signed in December, determined that the government take immediate measures to prevent Bolsa Família beneficiaries from using the program's money in gambling.
Minister Jonathan de Jesus determined that the Ministries of Finance, Development and Social Assistance, and Sports, and Caixa Econômica, take measures and adopt "immediate technical solutions" to operationalize the ban.
When contacted, the Attorney General's Office (AGU) recently said that it had not yet received notice of the outcome of the judgment of the appeal filed.
"As soon as the notice is formally received, the AGU will forward it to the ministries involved so that the departments can inform what measures are being adopted to comply with the precautionary measure, information that will be forwarded to the TCU," it stated in a note.
Bolsa Família and betting
The debate over the use of Bolsa Família funds intensified when the Central Bank released a survey indicating that Brazilians would have spent around R$20 billion (US$3.45m) per month on online bets in the first eight months of 2024.
According to the study, around 24 million people made at least one Pix for bets in the same period. And a considerable portion are among the beneficiaries of the social program.
For the TCU, the program's resources cannot be used for bets. "We are going to attack that well and that precautionary measure restricted only Bolsa Família. To clarify exactly that we have one focus, it is Bolsa Família," said Vital do Rego.
Technical conditions
In October, the Minister of Social Development, Wellington Dias, even stated that the department was finding a solution to block the Bolsa Família card as a means of payment in online betting systems.
However, in an appeal to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in December, the AGU stated that the government is facing difficulties in adopting measures capable of preventing the use of the resources.
In the eight-page appeal, the AGU argues that:
* Bolsa Família bank accounts are not used only for the benefit – that is, they receive money from other sources;
* the government cannot "micromanage" each family's expenses to know where the money received goes;
* the government cannot pass the list of beneficiaries to the banks;
* even if it banned all debit cards, the government would not be able to prevent payments via Pix or prepaid cards, which could also use Bolsa Família money.
Source: g1
