The column of Azevedo refers to the main argument used by those who support
that the whole gambling sector should be legalized, the fact that there are
already innumerable international sports betting sites that operate with
Brazilians.
"In a recent study, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) reported that in
Brazil there are around US$ 633 million in bets related to sport in general.
Meanwhile, and despite the fact that the issue has already been brought to
Congress, there is still a barrier to the regulation of this modality of bets
by virtue of the implementation of monitoring measures that allow to detect
possible manipulations of the results and, consequently, penalize those
responsible," the column says.
Azevedo makes a comparative line with the behavior of this sector in some
European countries.
"The study quoted by the FGV estimates that if bets were legalized in
Brazil, the economic movement of this market would reach US$ 3,16 billion,
based on the experience in France, which would report to the State some US$ 1
billion in taxes, not counting that a certain percentage of the capital could
be allocated to the sports through eventual legal obligations," adds
Azevedo.
Also, the opening of this market, according to the expert, would open the
entrance of potential brands and the reception of considerable capital at
national level, through the sponsorship of entities and clubs.
"There is a strong interest from companies that want to expand into large
consumer markets, such as Brazil. Examples in Europe of this type of company
are Bwin, who was a sponsor of Milan or Real Madrid, and Sky Bet, which works
with clubs in England, among others."
