FactCheck BNLData: Government report on betting hides more than it reveals.
The government's assessment of bets, released in a press release by the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic – SECOM on Saturday (10), deals with the restitution of bettors' balances and the fight against illegal platforms, but presents numbers that are not explained and omits those that actually measure results.
The billion that disappeared
Until October 5th, the government reported approximately R$ 1,2 billion in balances to be returned. Five days later, the amount is R$ 159 million, a drop of 87%. The only explanation is the "updating of data by companies." The text does not say whether the money was withdrawn, if the previous number was wrong, or if there was double counting. The higher value was the one used by Minister Dario Durigan in the balance sheet of October 6th.
Cent refund
The R$159 million is distributed across 70,5 million accounts belonging to 22,5 million bettors. The average is R$2,26 per account and R$7,07 per bettor. According to the press release itself, 90% of the accounts (63,4 million) have less than R$1. The government does not disclose how much it will cost to process tens of millions of cent transfers, nor who will foot the bill.
Eight unnamed companies
The Attorney General's Office (AGU) will take legal action against eight companies that failed to submit data to the banks. The press release does not identify them or clarify whether their balances are included in the R$ 159 million.
The illegal accelerates
The government reports 16.627 websites "referred for blocking" between September 25th and October 9th, without specifying how many were taken offline. Of this total, 2.979 were identified on the 8th and 9th alone. The daily average increased from 1.050 in the first 13 days to 1.490 in the last two, a 42% increase. This data confirms what the sector warned: the prohibition opened space for clandestine offerings.
Halfway there
Of the 3.691 "requested" removals on social media, 2.534 (69%) are from Facebook and Instagram, platforms for which the release does not show reach. Telegram accounts for 97% of the 18,9 million users mentioned. The text itself admits that the total may include the same person more than once.
What the press release doesn't say
There is no mention of blocked bank accounts, recovered funds, punished payment institutions, investigations, or arrests. According to sources consulted by BNLData, the recovered amount does not reach R$ 600. There are also no rules for the phase in which Caixa Econômica Federal takes over the restitution, starting on October 14th.
On Sunday (11), BNLData filed requests via the Access to Information Law with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Central Bank to obtain the omitted data.
