The government has identified the use of online betting platforms by criminal organizations to launder money and hide assets, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Wednesday. According to him, the sector poses increasing risks to the economy and families, which requires filling regulatory gaps and strengthening inspection procedures.
– Our biggest problem, the crime that uses the gaming platform to launder money, we know that and this will unfold very quickly as you have been following the news – the minister said. — Organized crime never fails to exploit any loophole, as is the case with some fintech and betting companies that end up becoming a means of laundering money and hiding assets, so this worries us a lot.
The Minister also highlighted that betting-related violations led to the launch of three major police operations, which have now become transnational in nature. Haddad said that the issue was discussed in the phone call between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and former US President Donald Trump.
– I have already received news from the US Embassy that would like to access the documents that are being translated into English, so that this procedure can be implemented – he said.
Advertising regulation and the role of SUS
Haddad defended the need for Congress to move forward with regulating betting house advertising, comparing the sector to the history of restrictions on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.
– We want you, as in the case of drinking and smoking, to receive the necessary alerts effectively. This is entertainment and it should be something light, but the line between entertainment and addiction is very thin. “We have to act preemptively,” he said.