Senator Izalci Lucas introduced Bill No. 4876/2024, which aims to prohibit the use of funds from social programs, such as Bolsa Família, in online betting. The measure seeks to prevent beneficiaries from compromising the family budget with gambling, establishing penalties for both users who violate the rule and operators who do not implement control mechanisms.
To ensure compliance with the law if the project is approved, operators will have to implement automatic identification mechanisms for beneficiaries of social programs by cross-referencing data with the Federal Government's Single Registry for Social Programs (CadÚnico) and other relevant databases.
They must also immediately block the CPF registered in social programs at the time of attempt to register or bet.
To enforce this obligation by the operators, the Ministry of Finance will have to establish deadlines, methodologies, and penalties applicable to companies that fail to meet the obligations.
If the beneficiary uses the program money for betting, the benefit will be suspended for up to 12 months.
In his justification, the senator points out data released by the Central Bank that about 20% of the resources from Bolsa Família were used in sports betting. “The project aims to protect economically vulnerable citizens, beneficiaries of social programs and subsistence scholarships, against the financial, social, and family damages arising from the online betting market”.
Izalci also states that 86% of bettors have debts and 64% face credit restrictions, according to a survey by the Locomotive Institute. “These numbers show that betting often turns into a cycle of impoverishment and indebtedness, exacerbating the vulnerability of the most needy families”, he explains.
Source: GMB
