TLDR
- Brazil’s Senate Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) removed Article 139 from Public Security PEC 18/2025.
- The article would have sent 30% of fixed-odds betting revenue to security and prison funds instead of sports.
- The change avoids an estimated loss of about R$500 million a year for Brazil’s sports budget.
- Senator Rogério Carvalho led the report that kept the current funding law in place.
- Sports groups including CBC and FENACLUBES say the fight continues in the full Senate vote.
Brazil’s sports sector avoided a funding cut this week after a Senate committee removed a measure that would have redirected betting revenue away from sports programs. The Constitution and Justice Committee, known as the CCJ, dropped Article 139 from a broader security proposal called PEC 18/2025.
The article had already passed the Chamber of Deputies. It called for 30% of income from fixed-odds betting to go to the National Public Security Fund and the National Penitentiary Fund.
What the Original Proposal Would Have Changed
Under current law, betting revenue supports sports development programs across Brazil. The proposal would have cut into that funding to pay for public security and prison systems instead.
Sports organizations estimated the change would have cost the sector about R$500 million a year. That money currently supports athlete training, grassroots programs, and local sports events.
Senator Rogério Carvalho of the Workers’ Party wrote the new report that kept the funding structure as it stands under Law No. 13.756/2018. He said the original proposal did not get enough discussion before being included in the bill.
Carvalho also said public security has other funding sources available. He argued the sports sector should not lose money to cover a different budget need.
Sports Groups Organize a Response
A group of Brazilian sports organizations pushed back against the proposal before the CCJ vote. The Brazilian Club Committee, known as CBC, and the National Confederation of Clubs, called FENACLUBES, led the effort.
They named the campaign “Mourning for Sport.” The groups produced financial impact studies and met with government officials to make their case.
Other organizations joined the push. These included the Brazilian Olympic Committee, the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, the Brazilian Committee of Paralympic Clubs, the Brazilian School Sports Confederation, and the Brazilian University Sports Confederation.
Their shared argument was that cutting sports funding to boost security funding would create problems for existing programs. They said both sectors need reliable funding without one taking from the other.
CBC president Paulo Maciel called the CCJ decision a step forward. He said the work is not finished yet.
“This result preserves the conditions necessary for Clubs to continue advancing sports development,” Maciel said. He credited the outcome to years of investment and infrastructure work.
FENACLUBES president Arialdo Boscolo pointed to the scale of the club sector in Brazil. He said his organization represents more than 11,000 clubs across the country.
“FENACLUBES brought to the debate the reality of more than 11,000 Clubs, which generate jobs, move cities and carry out important daily work for society,” Boscolo said. He added that his group worked alongside CBC because of the impact the cut would have had.
Boscolo also said the CCJ decision is an achievement but not the end of the process. He said sports groups will keep working until a final vote happens.
The PEC still needs to move through the full Senate before lawmakers make a final decision. Sports organizations plan to keep pressure on lawmakers ahead of that vote.
For now, the current funding law for betting revenue stays in place. The next stage of the process will play out in the Senate Plenary.
