Government vetoes disqualified "bets" in Maracanã concession to Flamengo and Fluminense

After prolongation for another 60 days to sign the contract with the company formed by Flamengo and Fluminense, the Government of Rio de Janeiro imposed a new condition for the Maracanã concession. The Secretary of the Civil House added a clause that imposes the need for accreditation of betting houses with the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) or the Federal Union to display their brands in the stadium complex.

The measure was a request of Loterj, to adapt to “compliance with applicable legislation in force in Brazil”, including tax legislation, as provided for in the notice released last year. There is a process for regulating “bets”, with 25 companies in the accreditation process with the Federal Union. Of these, 15 were admitted this week.

The deadline for the accreditation stage ends next Tuesday (20) and the company's approval or disapproval will be given by the end of the year. From January 1, 2025, only bets that comply with Brazilian legislation will be able to operate in Brazil.

Flamengo's master sponsor, Pixbet, is one of the five bookmakers that already has accreditation with Loterj, the others Apostau, Bestbet, Rio Jogo and Marjosports. Last Tuesday, the Deliberative Council approved the creation of “Flabet”, which has not yet entered the federal regularization process, but, as it is operated by Pixbet, will have permission to operate in Rio de Janeiro. p>

Fluminense has Superbet as a sponsor, a company that was the second to enter the accreditation process with the Federal Union.

In a note sent to GE, Tricolor stated that "the clause mentions the need for authorization from LOTERJ or the Federal Union. Federal regulation (ORDINANCE SPA/MF Nº 827, OF MAY 21, 2024) establishes that the adaptation period for legal entities that were active in Brazil ends on May 31 December (art. 24). It also establishes that anyone who requested authorization by August 20th will have the request analyzed by December 31st (art. 23). This may only happen on January 1/25 for those who do not have authorization. The SPA website publishes that it made the requests and Superbet is there: https:// Sigap.fazenda.gov.br/consulta-publica/lista-solicitacoes."

For Loterj, the grant is R$5 million for operations in the state of Rio de Janeiro. For the Union Federal, together with the Ministry of Finance, the grant is R$ 30 million. Loterj's license has a 5% tax rate on bookmaker profits, while in the Union it is 18%.