Draft bill aims to prevent beneficiaries of social programs in São Paulo from gambling.

State Representative Andréa Werner (PSB) filed a bill in the Alesp (Legislative Assembly of São Paulo) to prevent beneficiaries of São Paulo state government income transfer programs, such as Renda Cidadã and SuperAção SP, from placing bets, reveals a note from Painel da Folha de S.Paulo.

The text prohibits individuals who receive benefits from state social programs from registering and maintaining active accounts with online betting sites.

The proposal mandates that companies implement verification mechanisms to prevent beneficiaries of state income transfer programs from registering or having active accounts on the platforms.

During registration, they will need to consult an official database provided by the agency managing income transfer programs and verify if the user's CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID) belongs to a beneficiary of social assistance.

If betting companies identify that the user is linked to any state income transfer program, they will have to deny registration. If they find that a beneficiary has an active account, they must close it—the beneficiary will have up to two days after the closure notice to withdraw the funds.

Betting establishments that fail to comply with the measures will be subject to warnings and fines ranging from 0,3% to 20% of the company's annual gross revenue per infraction. Partial or total suspension of activities in the state or definitive revocation of their license, with a prohibition on requesting new authorization for a minimum period of ten years, is also foreseen.

The congresswoman says the bill seeks to "protect the population in situations of social vulnerability." "This is a social responsibility measure similar to the one the federal government recently adopted when it prohibited beneficiaries of Bolsa Família and BPC from maintaining active accounts in online betting sites, in compliance with a decision by the Supreme Federal Court," she says.