Legislation
Brazil – Senator will file complaint over bribery allegations
By James - 2 October 2023
Long term opponent of gambling Senator Eduardo Girão has announced that he will file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office against Deputy Felipe Carreras over claims in a magazine that he reportedly asked for bribes in return for not pressing sports betting operators too harshly during the recent match fixing inquiry.
According to weekly magazine Veja, the President of the Games and Lotteries Association, Wesley Cardia, was reportedly approached by Felipe Carreras, rapporteur of the Sports Betting (CPI). Wesley Cardias CEO of The National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) was called before the CPI in July.
According to the magazine, Cardia, was approached by the lawmaker who allegedly asked him for R$35 million, in exchange for “help and protection”. The accusations were denied by Representative Felipe Carreras who said that he that he “never” asked for a bribe claiming that it was a great injustice. The story was also refuted by the ANJL in a statement.
However Girão is not taking his word for it. Speaking to the senate news agency (Senado Notícias) he said: “The deputy, as rapporteur of the CPI on sports betting, would have offered, in exchange, protection to the sector in the commission, as well as a commitment to approve the regulations on the matter in the Plenary Session of the Chamber.”
And he pointed out: “The aforementioned parliamentarian was the rapporteur of PL 442/1991, known as the Regulatory Framework for Gaming , which deals with games of chance, casino, bingo, Jogo do Bicho (the Animal Game), slot machines, everything bad that you can imagine that can be addictive.”
The senator argued that the Chamber of Deputies had a duty to open a case before the Ethics Commission against the parliamentarian.
Girão also criticized the fact that the lower house recently approved, the sports betting bill. The senator argued that the matter should be rejected in the Senate, but said that there was a movement by the government majority to approve the text.
For Girão it is now up to the Senate to “eliminate the most harmful articles ” such as “advertising, which is now freely done on television, on the Internet, in stadiums and on players’ shirts.”
The senator also condemned the political horse trading over the Ministry of Sports headed now by Deputy André Fufuca earlier this month.
“As this Ministry has a small budget, it was agreed with the Government that, upon approval of the sports betting law, an important part of the resources collected from taxes would be directed to this ministry,” he said.
“There is no free lunch. Hence the Centrão interest in taking charge of a Ministry that had no budget. It will be watered with gambling, which, I repeat: is the sweat, the blood of the people, of the Brazilians who are becoming addicted, are getting into debt,” he said.
