Thronicke voiced her concerns at Tuesday’s (25 March) meeting of the betting CPI, which was established in November last year amid increased concerns over the impacts of gambling, ahead of the legal online market launch in Brazil on 1 January.
On Tuesday, Thronicke called upon the congress to establish new laws to restrict the population’s access to online betting sites.
She also criticised the long delay between the initial passing of legislation in 2018 and the final approval in December 2023. Many blamed the proliferation of illegal sites during that period for ongoing concerns over betting addiction in Brazil.
“We need to make it increasingly difficult [to access online betting sites],” Thronicke said at the hearing. “We are here to make amends. We need to legislate to minimise the risks and damages of this activity.
“Now we are here learning and changing tires while the car is still moving, because it is a new world for all of us.”
Former gambling addict calls for ad restrictions in CPI
At Tuesday’s hearing, businessman and former betting addict André Rolim discussed his own challenges with gambling addiction, calling for introduction of stricter rules on advertising and limits on playing time.
However, Rolim insisted none of these restrictions would have quelled his gambling during his addiction. He ultimately overcame these issues after visiting a rehabilitation clinic.
“I don’t think there would be any policy that could [have] stopped me,” Rolim said. “When an addict is active, he does whatever he has to do [to bet]. He cheats, he finds his way.
“It’s kind of an illusion to think that we’re going to restrict someone who has access to money from being able to stop gambling.”
A number of measures have been introduced of late with the objective of restricting advertising in Brazil.
One such bill is PL 3563/2024, which was introduced last year and aims to prohibit fixed-odds sports betting advertising throughout Brazil. It would also ban sports sponsorships.
The bill’s rapporteur, Senator Damares Alves, reiterated her desire for advertising to be banned in Tuesday’s CPI meeting.
“When we are treating an alcoholic, we do not let him near alcohol,” Alves explained. “How can we treat a gambling addict if we are offering him the product every second?
“It is impossible to live in this nation without being bombarded by betting.”
Addicts particularly vulnerable to online gambling in Brazil
The long-running grey market in Brazil ahead of full regulation has led many to claim that at some points, the country had the most gambling sites in the world, making access much easier than in other markets.
Rolim shared his concerns over that ease of access, comparing it to the currently illegal land-based gambling, while also explaining how even accessing online betting has been more difficult in the past.
“You have to travel [to conduct land-based betting], you have to set a schedule, you have to tell your wife that you’re leaving the house. There are a series of barriers,” Rolim declared. “[With online betting] I tell my wife that I’m going to the balcony to watch a movie, but I’m playing.
“In the past, it was much harder to be an [online] bettor. I had to have an international card, I had to have a series of limits that didn’t let me bet 24 hours a day.”
Companies operating on a federal licence in Brazil have to adhere to strict KYC requirements, including mandatory facial recognition technology for ID verification. Bettors must also register using a viable bank account established with a payments institution approved by the Central Bank of Brazil.
