SECAP aims to regulate gambling in Brazil before Qatar 2022

Brazil’s secretary of evaluation and lotteries hopes the World Cup will give an early push to the sports betting market.

Brazil.- The next football World Cup final will take place in Qatar in 2022. Brazil, where the sport is huge, is hoping to see the regulation of sports betting in time for the event.

The secretary of evaluation and lotteries at the Secretariat of Evaluation, Planning, Energy and Lottery (SECAP), Gustavo Guimarães made the comment in a panel named “The new era of sponsorship in Brazilian soccer” during the SBC Summit Latin America in Miami.

He said: “We knew that the 2018 law needed adjustments, especially in tax matters. Today, the country is competitive and we have a very fertile ground to develop the sector a lot. Our goal is to deliver the regulations as quickly as possible.”

He added: “The return of regulation will not only be for sports and betting houses, but also for the social destinations that the activity will generate. We want to create a link between the growth of the sector and the improvement of public finances and how resources will be directed to areas of demand in the coming years.

“Prejudice still exists, but it is important to show that the activity is legal. We will regulate, creating all the potential that all of you have shown here.”

Meanwhile, Fernando Paz, sponsorship fundraising consultant at Copa do Brasil, stated: “We are a continent within South America. I see a very big growth in Brazil in relation to sports betting. Today, not only are soccer jerseys sponsored, but all competitions are also sponsored.”

Also in the discussion were Alex Fonseca, Betano’s national manager for the Brazilian market; Luciana Hendrich, Hendrich Digital Content; Pedro Melo, CCO Atlético Mineiro; and Maurício Amaro (Website Manager at ALTS Digital. The panel was moderated by Luiz Alberto D’Avila Araújo from the Department of Evaluation and Lotteries at the Ministry of Economy (SECAP).