VIE 29 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 04:41hs.
Article on website “Doentes por Futebol”

Betting release in Brazil can combat sports fraud

The prohibition of bookmakers does not prevent sports fraud from occurring. On the contrary, many people were unaware of how the betting world worked and this facilitated the work of the illegal operators. With new laws regulating activity in Brazil, the country has a unique opportunity to define appropriate punishments, while part of the money collected with taxes can be directed to organs to combat sports fraud.

In Brazil, bookmakers have been banned since 1941, in a somewhat controversial measure. This is because it is possible to place bets easely in lottery stores. Not to mention that there is no legislation in force that prevents foreign websites from acting in Brazil. That is, in practice it is also possible to place bets online.

But all this is about to change, as Law 13.756 / 18 promulgated in 2018 in the National Congress, has among its points the legalization of bets. The next step is in hands of the Ministry of Finance and consists of defining the specific laws that will regulate and control the betting world. The deadline for establishing these rules is two years after the promulgation. It can be extended for an equal period.

The process is expected to move quickly. One of the indicators is the fact that the current government shows a more liberal view when it comes to the economy. But several people warn that it is important to be cautious. Releasing betting stores without proper care can have undesired consequences.

But at the same time, people are already betting freely on various betting sites. If the bettor chooses a trusted site with a tradition in the market, he has no problem in terms of security.

So, as people will continue to make bets, from the governmental point of view, it is better to legislate the activity. The objective should be: collection of taxes, creation of a safety net and support for people working in the field. In addition, it is not a bad idea to follow the example of France, which has set up a commission specializing in overseeing this activity.

Gambling and sports fraud

Sports betting frauds are nothing new. Still in the 80's it was already known the so-called "Sports Lottery Mafia". The scandal figured on the cover of Placar magazine in October of 1982. However, over time the crimes prescribed and none of those involved was punished in a forceful manner.

So it's no wonder that about 20 years later we had another scandal. This time the name was given to "Mafia do Whistle", which makes sense because the referees were key parts for the manipulation of the results. This time the magazine that unmasked the scandal was "Veja", on September 23, 2005.

In the end, the main beneficiary of the story was Corinthians, who had the opportunity to repeat important matches against Santos and São Paulo. With a win and a draw (instead of two defeats) Corinthians ended up conquering one of the most controversial titles in the history of the Brasileirão championship. Even today the fans of International club (the other team aiming to become champion) do not settle for the title lost.

Conclusion

These two events show an important detail: The prohibition of bookmakers does not in any way prevent sports fraud from occurring. On the contrary, many people were unaware of how the betting world worked and, perhaps, facilitated the work of illegal operators. However, with the establishment of new laws that regulate betting in Brazil, there is a unique opportunity to define appropriate punishments for fraud of this type. What's more, part of the money collected from taxes can be directed to anti-fraud bodies.

With this, the country will be able to: strengthen tourism, increase tax collection, generate new jobs and combat sports fraud. And it can efficiently avoid not only scandals in major football divisions. It is possible to prevent even the grassroots divisions of football being corrupted by fraud. And it's always worth remembering that by having a smaller audience and dealing with youngsters who do "almost everything" to continue following their dreams, base divisions are much more common targets of sports fraud.

Source: GMB / Doentes por Futebol