Brazil is banning online betting and gambling. Presented by Senator Sérgio Petecão or PSD-AC, this is what the bill PL 4.031/2024 on October 21 proposes. The prohibition excludes the federal lottery.
It also determines that only physical bets should be allowed, with the purchase of printed tickets.
Petecão quoted concerns about mental health as well as the possible indebtedness of the population, and the access of minors to gambling in justifying the proposal.
The senator stated that if the bill passes, it will prohibit both sports betting and various types of online casinos. He proposes amending Law 14.790 of 2023 to ban virtual betting in Brazil.
He added that according to the bill, bets placed in person at physical service points, through the delivery to the bettor of a printed ticket, remain legal. This preserves the commercial structure and regulatory framework provided for in Law 14.790/2023 except the prohibition of virtual betting.
Internet connection, as well as Internet application providers will be required to block websites and exclude applications that offer fixed odds betting, under Petecão’s initiative.
The bill is pending debate and awaiting approval in the Senate. It joins a series of initiatives presented in past weeks that seek to prohibit fixed-odds betting. Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), the head of the government, had already noted this trend.
In an interview with SBT’s Perspectivas program in early October, he said that now there’s going to be a profusion of bills. He knows them. How does it work? A problem arises and all the parliamentarians want to show up saying, he suggested this. The Brazilian legislative process is never as fast as it should be. But it’s welcome. Even the federal government will adopt good ideas.
