Minister pressed to name President of Brazil Bets Secretariat

Pressure mounts on Fernando Haddad, Brazil’s Minister of Finance, to name a President of the Secretariat of Bets and Prizes, an appointment needed to finalise the launch of Brazil’s federal sports betting marketplace.

In Congress, frustration mounts as the Ministry of Finance has yet to publish the final schedule to launch the ‘Bets’ regime as authorised on 2 January by President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva.

The leadership appointment of the ‘Secretaria de Prêmios e Apostas (SPA)’ is reported to be a stumbling block for Minister Haddad, fraught with political interests in how the Bets regime will be governed.

In February, the Ministry of Finance announced that it had completed plans to establish a ‘Special Secretariat’ to monitor and report on gambling activities.