Brazil’s Ministry of Finance Inks Deals with Match-Fixing Monitoring Bodies

On October 29, Brazil’s Ministry of Finance announced a five-year partnership with four major organizations that specialize in industry monitoring and integrity to help combat match-fixing.

The Ministry’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) signed Technical Cooperation Agreements with betting data specialist turned into one of the world’s largest sports technology companies, Genius Sports, leading global sports technology company that creates immersive experiences, Sportradar, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), and the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (Siga and Siga Latin America). 

SPA: “It Is a Two-Way Street”

The agreements aim to bolster protections against sports manipulation in the country by leveraging insights from more mature markets like England and Australia.

These collaborations will also serve to educate SPA teams on monitoring the legal sports betting sector, which is set to launch alongside iGaming on January 1, 2025. 

SPA leader Regis Dudena indicated openness to forming additional partnerships in the future, stating, “They will train us so that we can identify possible cases of manipulation and related fraud, in addition to sharing information. It is a two-way street.” 

Dudena, who was appointed leader of Brazil’s secretariat of prizes and bets at the end of April, added the SPA was “open to discussions with other organizations that work on betting integrity.”

The lawyer who previously worked in both regulatory and public law and served as legal manager for the National Association of Railway Carriers also expressed optimism that alliances with industry leaders like Sportradar and the IBIA will foster knowledge sharing and reduce instances of manipulation. 

Brazil, Ranked Third for Suspicious Sports Betting Activities Worldwide 

Brazil’s legal betting market has been marred by controversies, including high-profile allegations of match-fixing. 

The IBIA’s 2023 Integrity Report ranked Brazil third worldwide for suspicious sports betting activities. 

The report mentioned a total of 11 alerts, all involving soccer. 

So far this year, the IBIA has flagged six incidents, five of which were related to soccer, with three occurring before the formation of the parliamentary inquiry commission (CPI) earlier this year following John Textor, American businessman and owner of the Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas club, who accused São Paulo and Fortaleza players of match-fixing.

Textor’s claim led to a tense dispute, with CPI president Jorge Kajuru suggesting the former should be expelled from Brazil if his claims lacked evidence. 

Textor, however, has maintained his accusations.

IBIA, “Delighted” to Enter the Agreement 

IBIA’s chief executive officer, Khalid Ali, supports continued collaboration to combat match-fixing within Brazil’s soon-to-be-regulated betting market. 

“IBIA is delighted to have entered into this agreement with the Ministry of Finance and commends the government’s focus on creating a robust ecosystem to combat match-fixing in sports betting,” Ali said. 

The CEO further explained that according to the partnership, IBIA will work to “identify and report to the Ministry of Finance suspicious bets on Brazilian sporting events” while offering “detailed customer account data, which is unique to IBIA and its members, to assist in investigations.”

In the meanwhile, Sportradar’s manager for integrity partnerships in the country, Felippe Marchetti, highlighted the importance of integrity, stating, “This ACT reflects a mutual commitment to establish a sustainable, regulated sports betting industry in Brazil that is built upon a foundation of integrity.”

At the start of the month, Brazil announced it would block thousands of sites as regulated betting continued to loom. 

Dudena then reiterated bettors should understand that a regulated sector would benefit their mental and financial health as it would force gambling companies to follow specific rules and protocols.