Project allocates lottery money to internet 'sportsmen'

 

Games played online (so-called Esports) have failed to overcome the resistance of the Ministry of Sports to being declared sports like football, volleyball, and athletics, but they have gained an important ally in Congress.

Senator Izalci Lucas (PSDB-DF) filed a bill in the Senate to include the CBGE (Brazilian Confederation of Games and Esports), which represents this sector, in the National Sports System. If approved, the entities will be entitled to receive funds from lottery revenue.

In 2023, the amount allocated by the lottery to traditional sports was R$ 538,7 million. Of this total, only R$ 162 million was released. The remainder (R$ 376 million) was blocked as a contingency reserve.

Currently, four sports committees share this money, which is used for projects promoting development, training, technical preparation, athlete transportation, among other things.

The list includes the COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee), CPB (Brazilian Paralympic Committee), CBC (Brazilian Club Committee), and CBCP (Brazilian Paralympic Club Committee).

In total, sports committees receive 4,4% of the lottery revenue, with the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) being the main beneficiary of the money, receiving 1,7% of the resources—all others receive less than 1%.

Senator Izalci's bill stipulates that CBGE will receive 0,04% of the revenue.

The recognition of esports as a formal sporting modality became a problem in January, when the then Minister of Sport, Ana Moser, said that she considered electronic games as entertainment. The issue has not yet been resolved within the government.

When contacted, the Ministry of Sport said that eSports is a "topic still under evaluation".

According to the senator, however, the role of eSports is relevant both for its educational purpose, focusing on leisure, learning and collaboration, and for its role in high-performance sports.

In the proposal, the politician cites legislation in other countries, such as the USA, Germany, and France, where the government created a special visa for esports athletes.

In Brazil, according to research by PwC Brazil, total revenue from video games and esports is expected to reach US$2,8 billion (R$13 billion) by 2026. Currently, the sector generates just over US$1,4 billion in revenue per year.

Data from CBGE indicates that currently, 7 million Brazilians play sports games online, equivalent to the population of the city of Rio de Janeiro. ( Folha de S.Paulo – Painel SA )