A recent survey analyzed more than 850,000 matches from more than 70 sports around the world and concluded that Brazil had the highest number of suspected cases of match-fixing last year.
The most emblematic case is the scandal involving bribery of players who participated in Série B of the Brazilian Championship in 2022, with the aim of influencing the outcome of certain matches. The Public Ministry of Goiás is investigating this issue, in addition to possible manipulations in the state championships Gaúcho and Mineiro.
Meanwhile, in Brasilia, the Minister of Economy, Fernando Haddad (PT), considers the online betting sector as a possible source of revenue to improve the fiscal situation. He announced plans to regulate and tax this activity, which could generate revenue of up to R$6 billion a year.
To discuss the world of online betting, Natuza Nery interviews – in her podcast “O Subject” – Gabriela Moreira, a Globo sports reporter who had access to documents and recordings of the investigation into the Série B case, and Pierpaolo Bottini, a lawyer and professor of criminal law at USP.
Check out the podcast on match fixing in full
In summary, the episode portrays the following topics:
- Gabriela reports on the action led by the Public Ministry of Goiás, which has already indicted 14 suspects (including eight players) for allegedly operating a manipulation scheme for Serie B games, in which players would have received up to R$ 150,000 to commit penalties.
- The journalist questions the obscurity regarding the owners of sports betting companies and the destination of the money, which is used in all the advertising involved in football.
- Pierpaolo describes the significant increase in sports betting in recent years, since the activity was legalized in 2018 but has not yet been regulated. He highlights the lack of rules for companies and the lack of consumer protection.
- He also explains the Ministry of Finance’s project to tax betting companies, create mechanisms to prevent money laundering in the sector and establish a regulatory agency.