Brazil Increases Penalties for Match Fixing

The Constitutional and Legal Commission of the Chamber of Deputies (CCJ) recently approved Bill No. 515/2023, which aims to amend the Fan Statute by increasing penalties for sports professionals involved in match fixing. The bill was proposed by MP Bandeira de Mello and finalized by Representative Orlando Silva. The bill also proposes changes to the country's general sports law.

The new bill would increase the current penalty by a third or even half, depending on the status of the person involved in the manipulation. This could include referees, players, coaches, agents, managers, directors or representatives of sports clubs. Changes are also proposed, including the introduction of prison terms of two to six years for those who induce or recruit athletes, referees, directors or coaches to participate in match-fixing.

According to Bandeira de Mello, the bill is not aimed at indifferently prosecuting athletes or referees, but rather reminding them of the power of their influence and imposing sanctions in the event of unfair behavior. The bill has already been approved by the sports commission and is now awaiting consideration in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies.

The bill must also be approved by the Senate to enter into force.

Orlando Silva stresses that the new bill is essential to maintaining sports integrity in a country where match manipulation has long been a problem. According to the International Association for Betting Integrity’s 2023 report, Brazil ranked third in the world for suspicious bets on sports events, with all 11 notifications related to football matches.

The problem of match-fixing has become even more obvious after the allegations of American businessman John Textor, which have caused a wave of discussion in the industry and led to the creation of a parliamentary commission to investigate sports betting. The owner of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas accused São Paulo players of taking part in a match-fixing against Palmeiras, claiming to have evidence of referee bribery.

Orlando Silva believes that the stricter sanctions proposed in the bill will help to tackle the problem. Felipe Marchetti, Partnerships Manager at Sportradar, expressed hope that the use of new technologies and the launch of a parliamentary commission will reduce the level of manipulation.

In an interview with iGB, Marchetti noted the "good news" of a 60% decrease in cases of manipulation in sports in the first half of the year compared to the previous year. He expressed hope that continued work and raising awareness among participants will help improve these figures.

It is also important to note that the Paraná State Lottery (Lottopar) has issued an order prohibiting bets by people with the ability to influence sports results. The move is part of the country's preparations for the launch of a legal gambling market in early 2025 and following "international best practices".

MP Bandeira de Mello stressed that Brazilian society must respect football as an important factor in public policy and perceive it as a sport and a form of entertainment.