Brazil to Ban Social Welfare Recipients from Gambling
The president of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), Regis Dudena, has confirmed that gambling using Social Security funds will be prohibited in Brazil.
In an interview, Dudena stated that the SPA will ban beneficiaries of social programs such as Bolsa Família and the Continuous Benefit Program (BPC) from gambling in Brazil.
Dudena’s confirmation follows a November decision by the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which upheld the precautionary measure of Minister Luiz Fux prohibiting the use of social benefits for betting.
The measure is expected to undergo legal analysis before the SPA publishes an official ordinance formalizing the ban.
“We are preparing a measure to comply with the decision in the way we consider viable, which is to specifically prohibit beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and BPC,” Dudena said. “But this is still in the final stages of alignment, especially legal, to verify that it complies with the Supreme Court’s decision.”
How Will the Ban on Gambling with Social Benefits Be Implemented?
However, Dudena also warned that the implementation of the measure — which would affect about 20 million people in Brazil — could be difficult.
Last September, the Central Bank revealed that a fifth of the resources transferred by the Bolsa Família program in August had been used in online gambling.
The National Secretariat of Citizenship Income (Senarc) had already pointed out that only 1% of families receiving Bolsa Família use the physical card. The remaining 99% use the digital bank account where the benefit is deposited, which can also receive other credits, such as salaries.
“The Supreme Court is ordering us to impose this restriction and we will seek the best way to comply with the decision,” added Dudena.
“Blocking the card would not be effective. It is very rare for a beneficiary to receive money exclusively on the Bolsa Família card. The rule is to receive the amount in an account, and this account has a linked card. The Bolsa Família card, when used in isolation and without a link to a payment or deposit account, is already prohibited by our regulations.”
The SPA plans, instead, to block all Bolsa Família and BPC beneficiaries based on their Individual Taxpayer Registry (CPF) number.
SPA Will Publish Quarterly Reports on Gambling in Brazil
One of the main points of discussion in the first three months of the regulated market in Brazil has been whether, when, and how often the regulator will release data on the sector’s performance.
Dudena revealed that the SPA will publish quarterly results, based on information from operators and the Betting Management System (Sigap).
“We are producing this data,” Dudena explained. “We expect our system, Sigap, to receive daily reports from all companies. The operator’s own system will communicate with Sigap daily and report how many bettors have registered, how much has been bet, how much has been won, how much has been lost.”
“The idea is to publish a report that presents these numbers to disclose the first results to society.”
The SPA is expected to publish its full agenda for the 2025-2026 biennium soon.
Dudena believes that the SPA’s work is cyclical, with a constant need for evaluation and improvement, although he reinforces that regulation has been effective in restricting access to betting for minors.
“Within the regulated market, our degree of effectiveness in prohibiting children and adolescents in the betting environment is close to 100%,” Dudena stated.
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