Arrest order for Gusttavo Lima, swiftly overturned, shows unregulated betting as criminal headache and health crisis
n less than 24 hours, Gusttavo Lima, one of the most famous Brazilian country singers, sang at a rodeo in rural São Paulo state, watched Akon perform at the Rock in Rio festival, jetted to Miami – and became the target of an arrest warrant on suspicion of money laundering.
But the attempt to arrest a star with 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify dominated local news headlines – and cast a spotlight on how a sudden boom in unregulated online gambling has become a growing criminal headache and public health crisis for Brazil.Online gambling companies have grown exponentially since the Covid-19 pandemic, many of them with links to international companies and local criminal groups.
The crisis has also been felt at Gamblers Anonymous, the 12-step recovery programme whose first Brazilian group was established in Rio in 1993. In the past 12 months alone, groups have been formed in seven more cities, including the first one in the Amazon. But Tavares argued that the regulation is “excessively” focused on fiscal concerns – specifically preventing capital flight, and securing tax revenue – rather than on gamblers’ health.
But health specialists say the rules should be tougher, with a total block on any financial transactions between midnight and 8am. Under the new rules, companies are only required to offer bettors the option to set such limits themselves.
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