Bet365 is the most mentioned bookmaker, points out Datafolha – 06/29/2023 – Tech

Bet365 is the main betting site in Brazil, according to the survey O Melhor da Internet, by Datafolha. But, after the cases of match-fixing in Brazilian football involving betting, companies in the sector have avoided pronouncing — even though they were not the targets of the investigation.

The site was cited by 12% of those interviewed by Datafolha, which surveyed 1,558 people from all regions and social classes in the country. The survey was carried out between the 2nd and 9th of May.

Since November 2022, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating a group involved in sports betting fraud in games for the 2022 Brazilian series A and B championships.

According to the investigation, recruiters approached players to take cards on purpose. In other cases, the bet involved penalty kicks. Thus, bettors were correct guesses made in bookmakers, and athletes were with part of the profit. More than 50 players are mentioned in the process, and 15 have already been denounced.

For now, the main betting sites have commented on the case through the IBJR (Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming), created by nine companies. The organization, according to the managers, helps in the development of the sector in the country.

But the institute’s website is practically inoperative. At least until this Thursday (29), several portal tabs did not open. When contacted, the IBJR informed that the page is under construction and will be ready soon.

The institute, for the time being, publishes notes on Linkedin. The most recent, published on the 20th, announced an agreement with Conar (National Advertising Self-Regulation Council) for the implementation of measures related to advertising in the sector. “Our objective is to support the creation of a fair, safe and regulated environment for the betting market and, with this agreement, we are moving towards this”, said the IBJR’s CEO, André Gelfi.

In 2018, the then president, Michel Temer (MDB), sanctioned law 13,756, which legalizes the sports betting sector in Brazil. Like all legislation, however, it needed to be regulated – which the subsequent president, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), did not do during his four years in office. He feared displeasing an important part of his allied base, especially the evangelical group, which is resistant to the issue.

Now, regulation of the sector is advocated by both the current government and the houses. Initially, the Ministry of Finance calculated the volume of taxes to be collected at up to R$ 15 billion, but this week it adjusted the account to up to R$ 6 billion. Sought, the folder informed that the regulation will come through provisional measure and bill.

But when it will come is still uncertain.

Until then, it’s going to be hard to even knock on companies’ doors looking for comments. Due to legal uncertainty, they are headquartered abroad.