Brazil committee advances bill to toughen penalties for match fixing

The bill would increase the penalties for players, coaches and bettors.

Brazil.- The Chamber of Deputies’ Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) has advanced a bill that would increase the penalties for manipulating sports in the country. Proposed by Bandeira de Mello and redrafted by Orlando Silva, the bill aims to amend the country’s General Sports Law ahead of the launch of regulated online gambling in Brazil.

The bill would increase the current penalties of between two and six years by up to a half in cases in which the person involved is a referee, player, coach, bettor or agent, manager, director or representative of a sports club. It also introduces sentences of two to six years for those found to have recruited such people to commit manipulation.

The bill, which already has the approval of the sports committee, will now go to a plenary. It will also need Senate approval before it can enter law. Silva said: “Unfortunately, match-fixing in sports is an old problem. What we have to do, therefore, is propose changes, especially by imposing more severe sanctions.”

Meanwhile, Lottopar, the Paraná state lottery has published Ordinance No 67/2024, which bans those who can influence sports results from betting. The ban applies to players, coaches, referees and members of administrative boards. The lottery said it was following international best practice.

Brazil’s new gambling regulator intends to start issuing online gambling licences by the end of the year in time for a market launch in January 2025.

Last week, MGM Resorts and Grupo Globo confirmed the formation of a new venture to seek a licence for the BetMGM brand. They join seven other operators known to have applied for Brazilian gambling licences: Betnacional, Kaizen’s Betano, Superbet, Rei do Pitaco, Novibet, Sportingbet and Big Brazil.

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