Government maintains betting department with 100 positions after executive order prohibiting betting.

The federal government has decided to maintain the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting even after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) issued the Provisional Measure that foresees the end of betting. The agency currently has 100 positions and is subordinate to the Ministry of Finance, reveals Folha de S.Paulo.

The decision to preserve the secretariat is based on the assessment that the body plays an essential role in combating the illegal betting market. The Ministry of Finance stated that it is not discussing the extinction of the area and declared that "this team has already taken down 56 illegal websites." However, the ministry did not clarify whether all positions will be maintained or if there will be a reassignment. The government also did not explain how the secretariat will function with the prohibition of betting.

Members of the secretariat participate in a committee created to oversee illegal gambling advertising, coordinated by the Civil House. The group brings together 15 representatives from different government agencies, including the Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency and the Ministries of Justice, Finance, and Sports.

Internal structure of the secretariat.

The agency is composed of three sub-secretariats: authorization, monitoring and inspection, and sanctioning. The decree creating the agency stipulated that the authorization sub-secretariat would be responsible for analyzing operating permits and proposing criteria for granting licenses issued by the department.

The Prizes and Betting Secretariat was created in 2024, when betting houses were regulated in Brazil.