The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has given its support to the much maligned Bets Law, the federal framework regulating online gambling in Brazil.

Speaking during a panel on online betting at the 14th Lisbon Forum on 2 June, CBF Vice President Michelle Ramalho defended the role of licensed online operators and their vital support of Brazilian pro-football clubs and leagues.

Ramalho urged lawmakers to “focus enforcement efforts on unregulated operators”, and questioned why many Brazilian MPs wanted to repeal the Bets Law.

“Many uninformed people say that regulated betting should disappear, but betting companies are as much victims as the federations,” she said.

The executive argued that betting has become an integral part of modern football and that public debate should move away from automatically associating licensed operators with corruption scandals.

“Today, you can no longer talk about football without talking about betting. We need to demystify the label that many people use, as if betting companies were responsible for match-fixing,” Ramalho added.

“What betting company would want a match to be manipulated?”

The CBF Vice President also highlighted what she described as an uneven playing field between licensed operators and the black market, calling for tougher sanctions against illegal betting businesses.

“It is very important to classify and punish betting companies that are not legalised. We do not have sufficiently strict legislation for that. It is not fair for those who are legalised and doing everything correctly to have to compete with illegal operators,” she stated.No way back for Bets

Despite VP Ramalho and the CBF underlining their support for the regulated betting sector, the future of the Bets Law remains uncertain as political factions in Brasília continue to debate its long-term viability.

No way back for Bets

Despite VP Ramalho and the CBF underlining their support for the regulated betting sector, the future of the Bets Law remains uncertain as political factions in Brasília continue to debate its long-term viability.

Last week, the Economic Development Committee of the Chamber of Deputies began hearings examining the impact of the Bets regime since its implementation on 1 January 2025.

While the hearings are unlikely to result in the immediate repeal of the framework, they have exposed deep divisions over how online gambling should be governed in Brazil, particularly on issues relating to compliance, advertising, taxation and licensing.

The Bets Law has also faced criticism from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who despite authorising the regulatory framework has called on PT lawmakers to support forthcoming reforms aimed at tightening advertising restrictions and introducing new consumer protection measures designed to prevent gambling-related debt and safeguard the government’s flagship Bolsa Família welfare programme.

Meanwhile, both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate continue to receive bills and amendments proposing significant changes to the regulatory framework, including tougher penalties, enhanced compliance controls and a review of licences currently active in the market.

As reported recently by SBC Noticias Brasil, the governance of the Bets Law has become a political bargaining chip as parties seek to attract public support ahead of Brazil’s general election on 2 October.

With less than four months until voters head to the polls, the future of one of the world’s newest regulated betting markets remains increasingly contested, as operators, regulators and investors await clarity on which political forces will champion the Bets regime and which will seek to rewrite it.