Brazil’s Senate Human Rights Committee (CDH) has approved invitations for Finance Ministry Executive Secretary Dario Durigan and Secretary of Prizes and Betting Daniele Cardoso to discuss the regulation and oversight of the country’s betting market.
The requests were submitted by Senator Eduardo Girão and focus on the Government’s policies regarding the authorization, supervision and monitoring of fixed-odds betting operators.
Lawmakers are expected to examine issues including gambling addiction, consumer protection, betting advertising, safeguards for vulnerable groups and the criteria used by the Ministry of Finance when granting licenses to operators.
Girão also raised concerns about transparency in administrative processes involving betting companies, arguing that the rapid expansion of the sector has generated social and economic challenges that warrant closer scrutiny.
“The phenomenon of gambling addiction, pathological indebtedness, compulsive betting, and the psychological suffering associated with successive financial losses demands serious, responsible, and transparent institutional treatment,” the senator states in the justification for the request.
The parliamentarian also questions the imposition of secrecy in administrative processes related to betting companies and advocates for greater transparency regarding the Government's actions in this area.
In the request, the Senator said the growth of betting activity calls for a more transparent institutional response.
Brazil’s Finance Ministry has recently defended stricter regulation rather than prohibition of betting activities, with Durigan warning that an outright ban could strengthen the illegal market.
Durigan said the Federal Government remains focused on expanding oversight and enforcement as betting activity increases ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil’s Ministry of Health recently reported a nearly 140% increase in demand for public mental health services linked to gambling addiction over the past five years
