Brazil adheres to the Macolin Convention and intensifies the fight against the manipulation of sports results.

The Brazilian government has formally communicated to the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sporting Competitions, popularly known as the "Macolin Convention," its intention to become a party to this international legal instrument. The decision was announced this week, following a joint positive signal from the Ministries of Sport, Finance, and Justice and Public Security.

The Minister of Sport, André Fufuca, ratifies the Brazilian government's position of adhering to the Macolin Convention. “The Lula government's commitment is to ensure that Brazilians feel protected and trust our system for monitoring sports betting. This decision demonstrates that we are attentive and fulfilling our responsibilities. We will not allow the virtual betting environment to be taken over by illegal operators. We work tirelessly to combat match-fixing and guarantee the integrity of sporting competitions,” concludes the minister.

In Brazil, the fixed-odds sports betting sector is booming, driven by increasing digitalization and popular interest in sports, especially football. Since the approval of Law No. 13.756/2018, which legalized this market, the country has been in the process of regulation, with efforts to establish a regulatory framework that promotes legal certainty, consumer protection, and revenue collection for the State. The sector presents great economic potential, attracting investments from national and international operators, as well as fostering sports sponsorship.

Despite the progress, the process still faces challenges such as combating the illegal market, ensuring responsible gaming practices, preventing crimes like money laundering, integrating with state legislation, and creating infrastructure to monitor compliance with regulations.

With the advancement of regulation, Brazil has the opportunity to become a regional leader in the sector, maximizing the economic and social benefits of this activity.

The Macolin Convention enables public authorities to cooperate with sports organizations, betting operators, and competition organizers to prevent, detect, and punish the manipulation of sports competitions. It also proposes a common legal framework for international cooperation to address this global threat.

The National Secretary for Sports Betting and Economic Development of Sport, Giovanni Rocco, welcomes the decision and considers it an indispensable step to safeguard the integrity of sport.

According to him, collaborating with specialized partners who possess advanced technology, global data, and a proven track record in monitoring and combating sports fraud aligns Brazil with international best practices and ensures a fair and reliable sporting environment for athletes, clubs, fans, and regulated betting operators.

“Brazil’s accession to the Macolin Convention is strategic because match-fixing is a transnational crime. This cooperation, the exchange of intelligence data, especially regarding the sharing of information, is very important. Therefore, this integration with Europe will allow us to adopt much more effective measures in combating match-fixing, which is a complex and transnational crime,” says Giovanni Rocco.

Macolin Convention

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sporting Competitions, also known as the Macolin Convention, entered into force on 1 September 2019. It was ratified by France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine. It was signed by 32 other European states, as well as Australia and Morocco.