ABC-Bet backs Brazil’s betting framework and pushes back on new government MP

The Brazilian Association of Compliance, Best Practices, Ethics and Transparency in Betting (ABC-Bet) published an open letter on Thursday (17/9) calling for the existing fixed-odds betting regime in Brazil to be maintained and strengthened. For operators and PSPs in the sector, the message is simple: tighten enforcement against the illegal market, but do not blur the line between licensed businesses and offshore operators.

1. ABC-Bet said the debate around possible restrictions, including a new Medida Provisória (MP), should not weaken the current regulatory framework for fixed-odds betting in Brazil. The association is chaired by Vinícius Pinho.
2. The group acknowledged concerns about the social impact of betting, but argued that blanket restrictions on the authorised market can have the opposite effect: pushing bettors toward clandestine platforms where consumer protection mechanisms do not exist.
3. In the association’s view, the split between legal and illegal operators is non-negotiable. Licensed businesses operate under authorization rules, financial controls, player identification, responsible gambling policies, self-exclusion tools, anti-money laundering controls, data protection requirements, and ongoing supervision by the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas of the Ministério da Fazenda.
4. ABC-Bet said companies that entered the regulated market invested in technology, compliance, information security, sports integrity, and data protection, went through authorization and oversight processes, paid licensing fees, began collecting taxes, and hired staff to meet state requirements. Its point: treating those operators as if they were illegal is, in its words, a serious analytical error with practical consequences.
5. The association called on the government to intensify action against illegal platforms, expand cooperation with financial institutions and payment methods to cut off the economic chain behind illegal betting, improve consumer protection tools, strengthen prevention and treatment policies for problem gambling, and ensure enforcement actually penalizes those who break the rules.

ABC-Bet also said public policy of this scale should not be built on isolated cases or on disregard for the regulatory system developed in recent years. It wants debate based on reliable data, transparent methodology, and technical analysis of the economic, social, and regulatory impact of any measures under discussion.