A bill in Brazil proposes a monthly deposit limit
Curbing the over-indebtedness associated with gambling is the stated objective of the bill senator Camilo Santana presented in Brazil. The proposal sets a monthly cap of 80 reais for deposits intended for fixed-odds betting, but does so with a tiered design: whoever wants to put in more can ask for their limit to rise to the equivalent of 5 per cent of their monthly income, provided they prove solvency according to the criteria the Finance Ministry defines.
The mechanism modifies law 14,790/2023, which regulates the market, and establishes that the cap be calculated by adding everything the bettor deposits during the month across the different authorised companies, without counting the prizes received or the amounts returned. Santana held that the sector's regulation brought progress, but defended the need to add tools that reduce its financial impact, and placed the reference value at around 5 per cent of the current minimum wage, conceived as a standard floor for most bettors.
To justify the approach, the senator looked abroad and cited the cases of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands as examples of countries already using deposit limits to protect online gambling consumers. In his reading, the formula reduces the risk of excessive indebtedness without disproportionately punishing those with greater economic capacity, since they will be able to request higher caps after verification.
The text also foresees concrete operational consequences: if a deposit exceeds the permitted limit, the betting house must immediately return the excess, without prejudice to the other sanctions in the law, and the Finance Ministry would be empowered to update the 80-reais value and preserve its purchasing power over time. If approved and sanctioned, the new rules would take effect ninety days after their publication, in a Congress that debates in parallel other initiatives on the sector's future, among them one proposing a national plebiscite on the prohibition of fixed-odds betting and online gambling.
Tags: Camilo Santana, monthly deposit limit, Law 14.790/2023, fixed-odds betting in Brazil