Brazil Still Missing a President of Bets and Prizes Secretariat

Brazil’s Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, is under pressure to appoint a president of the Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) or Secretariat of Bets and Prizes. 

The appointment is required as a final step toward the much-anticipated launch of the country’s federal sports betting marketplace.

Frustration Rising in the Congress

News of the completion of the plans to set up a Special Secretariat that would be responsible for monitoring and reporting on gambling activities broke last month.

In the Ministry’s decree, it was mentioned that SPA would “work within the Ministry of Finance to enhance its structure and improve government actions in regulating the fixed-odds betting market, online games, and fulfilling legal duties related to lotteries and commercial promotions.”

The SPA will also supervise the conduct of licensed operators on the market and eight governors will oversee it. 

Each will have certain responsibilities connected to the country’s economic and financial governance.

The final procedures are asking for the Ministry of Finance to appoint a president who would manage a team made of 38 experts who will supervise the Bets marketplace.

Congress members have expressed their frustration toward the Ministry of Finance regarding the delay in publishing the final schedule for the launch of the “Bets” regime which was given the green light by President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva on January 2.

The leadership appointment of the SPA is considered a stumbling block for Haddad who is also dealing with the matter of political interests in regards to how the “Bets” regime will be managed.

Runnerup Resigns, Carvalho Proposes Himself

When the announcement was published, the general belief was that Haddad would name undersecretary José Francisco Manssur as SPA president. 

Despite being regarded as the frontrunner, his abrupt resignation from office last month changed things. 

The resignation was the result of a public fallout he had with Centrão (Big Centre), a powerful Congress block with support from Arthur Lira (PP), the sitting president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The conflict was tied to Centrão’s criticism of the tax allocation measures related to the Bets regime which was favored by the Ministry of Finance.

According to local media reports, Senator of the state of Sergipe, Rogério Carvalho, has proposed himself for the inaugural position of president of the Secretariat.

Nonetheless, since he is looking for close control of the Bets regime’s tax allocation structure, Haddad is more likely to choose advisor Marcos Barbosa Pinto, who is the PT government’s Secretary of Economic Reforms.

Last April, the country’s government introduced a 15% tax on online betting.