Sindibets-SP defends a regulated betting market and warns of the risk of prohibition.
The Union of Sports Betting and Online Gaming Operators of the State of São Paulo (Sindibets-SP) published a manifesto this Wednesday (September 23rd) in defense of the regulated betting market, opposing any measure that implies the closure of platforms authorized to operate in the country.
The document, titled “Regulate, protect and combat illegality,” argues that eliminating licensed companies would not eliminate gambling; it would only shift demand to the black market. According to the union, illegal platforms do not adequately identify their users, do not offer self-exclusion mechanisms, do not respect limits, are not accountable, and are beyond the reach of state oversight.
Regulation as a central argument
The manifesto lists a series of obligations to which authorized companies are subject: identification of bettors, facial recognition, payment controls, anti-money laundering policies, compliance structures, monitoring of risky behaviors, and specific rules for the protection of children and adolescents. For Sindibets-SP, this set of requirements objectively differentiates the formal market from the clandestine one.
The organization also draws attention to the impact on workers. The manifesto states that behind every regulated company, there are professionals in areas such as technology, information security, marketing, legal, finance, data analysis, and compliance, in addition to a whole chain of specialized services. "When we talk about simply ending 'bets,' we're talking about ending jobs, careers, income, and life plans," the text says.
The union's proposals
Instead of a ban, Sindibets-SP advocates a set of measures that, according to the document, can reconcile consumer protection with the preservation of the formal sector. Among the positions presented are:
⇒ Continuous improvement of rules and rigorous oversight of authorized companies;
⇒ More effective action against illegal operators, their promoters, and the payment methods that enable their activities;
⇒ More financial education and public policies for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling;
Responsible advertising and ongoing dialogue with public authorities, experts, sports organizations, consumers, and workers.
The document concludes by warning of what it calls the opposite effect to that desired; the prohibition can produce an effect contrary to what is intended: weakening those who are subject to the rules and opening space for those who never intended to comply with them.
Publication context
The manifesto arrives amidst the debate about the future of sports betting regulation in Brazil. The sector has undergone a regulatory structuring process in recent years, with the creation of a legal framework that established criteria for authorization, oversight, and operation of platforms. Sindibets-SP acknowledges in the document that harm exists and that the most vulnerable need protection, but maintains that these goals are compatible with maintaining a formal market. "It is possible to recognize the harm, protect the most vulnerable, and at the same time preserve a formal, supervised, and responsible market. One thing does not exclude the other," the text states.
The union's position is that the correct path is to "make the newly created regulation work better," charging more from those who operate legally and acting rigorously against those who operate illegally.
MANIFESTO
Regulate, protect, and combat illegality.
It is unacceptable that the answer to the problems of gambling is simply to shut down companies that have chosen to operate within the law. This solution may seem easy in theory, but it is fragile in practice—and deeply unfair to those who have chosen to comply with the rules.
Eliminating licensed gambling companies doesn't end gambling altogether. Demand doesn't disappear by decree. It migrates to illegal platforms, which have no commitment to the consumer, don't properly identify their users, don't offer self-exclusion mechanisms, don't respect limits, aren't accountable, and can't be effectively monitored by the State.
Brazilian experience has already shown what the path forward should be: strengthening the regulated market and eliminating the black market.
Authorized companies operate within clear and increasingly stringent rules. These include bettor identification, facial recognition, fraud prevention mechanisms, payment controls, anti-money laundering policies, integrity and compliance structures, customer service, monitoring of risky behaviors, limits, alerts, self-exclusion, and specific rules to protect children and adolescents.
And there's one point that can't be treated as a footnote: behind every regulated company, there are employees, professionals, and families.
These are people who work in technology, customer service, information security, marketing, legal, finance, data analysis, integrity, and compliance. People who chose the formal market, who built their careers in this environment, and who work every day to ensure that companies comply with the rules and that the sector develops responsibly.
When we talk about simply ending "bets," we're talking about ending jobs, careers, income, and life plans. We're talking about people who made a choice: to work legally, in a new, technological, and innovative sector, believing that the regulatory framework created by the State would be respected.
These people cannot be treated as an irrelevant side effect. The regulated market generates jobs and drives a vast chain of specialized services. It also contributes to tax collection, sports, and the development of new professional skills in the country.
SINDIBETS-SP advocates for the continuous improvement of regulations, rigorous oversight of authorized companies, and much more effective action against illegal operators, their promoters, and the payment methods that enable their activities.
We also advocate for more financial education, public policies for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling, responsible advertising, and ongoing dialogue with public authorities, experts, sports organizations, consumers, and workers.
It is possible to acknowledge the harm, protect the most vulnerable, and at the same time preserve a formal, regulated, and responsible market. One does not exclude the other.
Prohibition can have the opposite effect to that desired: weakening those who are subject to the rules and opening up space for those who never intended to comply with them.
The way forward is to make the newly created regulations work better. It means charging more from those who operate legally and acting rigorously against those who operate illegally. It means guaranteeing safety for consumers, for businesses, and for the thousands of employees who are part of this ecosystem.
SINDIBETS-SP
Union of Sports Betting and Online Gaming Operators of the State of São Paulo
