The Federal Government announced the creation of an “interministerial working group focused on mental health and preventing and reducing the impacts of gaming on the population”. The measure was published in the Official Gazette of the Union this Monday (9), through an ordinance bringing together the ministries of Sports, Health, Finance and the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic.
According to the government, the main objective is “to plan and implement actions to prevent, reduce harm and offer assistance to people in vulnerable situations or who exhibit behaviors that characterize gaming addiction.” The group will be responsible for developing the Mental Health and Problem Gambling Prevention Action Plan.
This plan will list public policies, educational measures and awareness actions. Among the group’s responsibilities are “to propose regulatory and administrative strategies”, “to coordinate actions with public and private entities”, “to develop guidelines for mental health care and prevention of problems associated with betting” and “to monitor and identify risk profiles among gamblers”.
The Minister of Sports, André Fufuca, highlighted the importance of the measure. “It reflects the government’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable people and building a responsible and safe gaming environment. With a focus on collective well-being and reducing the harm caused to those who may become addicted to gaming,” declared.
According to Giovanni Rocco, national secretary of Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sports, “the great concern is to preserve the integrity of families, protect children and adolescents and make people aware that sports betting is a form of recreation, but that it is a dangerous leisure activity, as it involves the risk of losing money”.
A Sheet showed last month that the number of people who have been treated for gambling addiction in the public network has increased sevenfold since 2020, according to data from the SUS (Unified Health System) from outpatient clinics across the country. The increase among women is higher than that identified among men.
Until July 2024, 464 consultations were recorded, of which women represented 256, and men, 208. In the previous year, there were 153 consultations for women, and 164 for men. In 2020, 24 women and 35 men were assisted. Professionals in the field face difficulties, especially in specialized centers, due to the lack of adequate resources and infrastructure.
The survey was carried out using data from approximately 540 thousand outpatient clinics from the DataSUS database and included two ICDs (codes for classifying diseases): the one that considers addiction to be the pathology itself and the one that places gambling addiction as something secondary , derived from another problem, such as depression, for example. The pandemic may have dampened notifications, but even so, the pattern continues an upward trend. Of the records, 95% are considered pathological cases.
There was criticism from professionals specialized in mental health regarding the regulation of the betting sector precisely in the section referring to “responsible gambling”, with rules that depend mainly on individual actions. The legislation will come into force in January.
The Ministry of Finance pointed out that “bets”, as betting companies are called, are obliged to offer means of self-control to bettors. And that compliance with obligations will be continuously monitored by the Prizes and Betting Secretariat through Sigap (Betting Management System).
Now, the government announces the creation of an interministerial group.
