Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazilian authorities on Friday began closing down more than 2,000 betting sites, including those that sponsors popular football team Corinthians and other first division clubs, as part of a push to regulate online gambling.
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Brazil ordered the closure of 2000 betting sitesWhat do you guys think, is it the right step? What will the government lose or gain? What will the citizens lose? Will the closed websites cooperate? Many might want to take their business elsewhere as they like to operate where the regulations are weak.
Do you think Brazilians would cooperate with the government? Some may think of VPNs to bypass the government's restrictions, but this might put them into trouble with casinos. I wonder how many of them know this.
It takes a bold step to do this and it looks like some countries are now waking up. Regulation is important in the gambling sector, it's better not to have gambling outlets at all than to have them do as they like without proper accountability and even pocket all the money without giving the government what is due to them. As for the government, the tax due is not justified if not used properly, sensitises/educates the people about gambling and protects the rights of the citizens/residents.
I love it when I read
this, which shows the government's seriousness in collaboration with licensed casinos/sportsbooks.
Let's face it, gambling companies are very easy targets for any politicians who need to divert attention from other problems at any time, nobody is going to be sticking up for them and it makes the government look tough. The reality is though, it's restricting what the citizens and driving betting underground where customers are more vulnerable to to the worst kinds of gambling organizations. It will likely end up with less revenue for the government, because people will still find their fix and probably take it offshore where the Brazilian government has no power at all. They are actually doing damage to themselves and every citizen by being so heavy handed like this.