CCDD approves ban on online payments for illegal gambling.

The Communication and Digital Law Committee (CCDD) approved on Wednesday (21) PL 3.403/2023 , which prohibits payments via the internet for games considered illegal in Brazil. The project, by Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), received a favorable opinion from Senator Hamilton Mourão (Republicanos-RS) and now goes to the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE) for analysis.

The proposal assigns to financial institutions and payment processing companies the responsibility of adopting procedures to identify and prevent these transactions. The proposal includes debit and credit cards, Pix (Brazil's instant payment system), and electronic funds transfers (TED) on websites inside or outside of Brazil as prohibited payment methods.

Mourão expressed concern about the proliferation of websites offering gambling games and the problems they cause to citizens.

"The widespread availability of these easily accessible games on the internet has led individuals and families to increasing financial problems," the rapporteur stated.

The legislator highlighted the health problems caused to individuals who bet on the fixed-odds lottery (a system where people place bets and receive prizes based on real sporting events).

"It has provoked a dangerous explosion of pathological conditions associated with gambling addiction, which is the medical term used to characterize a person's compulsion for gambling," he argued.

The senator included an amendment removing an article that provides for regulation of the matter by the National Monetary Council (CMN), which, in his view, could raise questions about the constitutionality of the bill.

— I would also like to point out that the Executive Branch may issue decrees and other regulations for the faithful implementation of the law to be enacted — he concluded.

If approved, banks and finance companies that fail to stop irregular payments could be fined up to one hundred times the value of the transactions. ( Senate Agency )