"Sports betting has some peculiarities, different from traditional lotteries, and involve very strong technology requirements that need to be studied a lot, such as the integrity of the sport, prevention of money laundering, prevention of the pathology of vulnerable players," said Marques.
“The administration technicians have studied a lot, participated in several events, trained so that we could regulate this activity without having to take a step forward and another step back,” said Waldir.
Marques, a government technician who has worked in the sector for 13 years, took over in February last year in the place of Alexandre Manoel, who left the administration - at request - after Estadão revealed that lawyer Pedro Trengrouse, unpaid adviser Secap-ME, offered private services to companies interested in the sector while advising the government.
The Planalto Palace estimates that it can raise between US$ 740m to US$ 1.85bn only with the regulation of bets, not counting the taxation on the activity.
According to Marques, the previous administration was very close to approving a regime that provided for the possibility of companies exploring the sector through the authorization regime. Now Secap-ME works with the idea of a concession.
“We came very close. The secretariat was working on the authorization front. And, in this matter, we see some points that could be harmful. So, we had to put the brakes on, review the model, in order to be able to proceed safely,” said the secretary.
Source: Ricardo Galhardo, O Estado de S.Paulo
