The Federal Attorney General’s Office (AGU) told the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that there are “practical barriers that are difficult to overcome” to prevent the use of social benefits in online sports betting – the so-called “bets”. In November, Minister Luiz Fux ordered the government to take measures to prohibit resources from Bolsa Família, Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC) and other social programs from being used to pay for this type of betting. The decision was confirmed unanimously by the plenary.
“Although concern for the economic situation of vulnerable individuals and families is commendable and necessary, the adoption of ‘immediate measures’ encounters practical barriers that are difficult to overcome,” said the AGU in a statement sent to the Court on Thursday night, 12 .
In the document, the AGU lists technical notes from ministries and bodies that point out operational difficulties in complying with the decision.
The Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, for example, said that there is no way to distinguish, in each account, which resources come from benefits and which come from other sources.
The Central Bank stated that it is possible to prohibit the use of debit cards to pay for bets, but considered that the measure would have limited effectiveness because bets could be placed by other means, such as prepaid cards and Pix.
The AGU also asked the Court to clarify which social programs are achieved by the decision and whether States authorized to explore the “bets” are also obliged to comply with the decision.
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“In addition to the various social benefit programs existing at the federal level, which were not exhaustively specified in the judgment, there are also numerous state benefits, and it is not possible to infer from the decision under examination whether these should also be included in the impediment to the use of their resources for the placing fixed-odd bets”, argued the body linked to the federal Executive.
Fux’s injunction was granted within the scope of actions by the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC), the Solidariedade party and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) against the Bets Law, which regulates the activity in the country .
Before issuing the injunction, the minister held public hearings to hear experts on the topic.
