Legislation
Brazil – New gambling board goes into operation
By James - 26 February 2024
Brazil’s new gambling board has gone into operation. The announcement was made via the Official Gazette of the Union which also announced the first 15 appointments of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) which will come under the Ministry of Finance.
Simone Aparecida Vicentini was appointed as the deputy secretary of the agency. While many observers had believed that the post of executive secretary would have been taken by special adviser to the Ministry of Finance José Francisco Manssur, who had played a key role in the development of online gambling regulations, the role has yet to be filled. As deputy secretary Aparecida Vicentini, will head up the board until the position has been filled.
José Francisco Manssur’s voluntary departure was due to personal reasons and it was not related to pressures from the Centrão bloc said Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. Centrão is a bloc of conservative parties which has dominated Brazilian politics for decades.
Responsible for drafting the regulation of online betting, Manssur had completed the work, according to the minister. Haddad made the clarification after reports in local media had indicated that Manssur’s departure was due to pressures from Centrão for control over the revenues from online gambling.
“Manssur was here to shape the project [law] and it was a process very well handled by him. He is a highly qualified professional. But in the end [the dismissal] is at his request. He will face other challenges. It has nothing to do with that [Centrão pressures],” said Haddad according to Agência Brasília the official news agency of the government of Brasília, the capital city of Brazil.
The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas no Ministério da Fazenda) will comprise of three divisions and will be responsible for issuing licences, monitoring and compliance and the imposing of sanctions and fines. The news comes after the federal government published Presidential Decree 11,907/2024, which established the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas no Ministério da Fazenda) earlier this month.
