SBC Summit 2026: Emanuel Medeiros Addresses Critical Integrity Challenges in Sports Betting in Brazil

The consolidation of regulated sports betting markets in Latin America has strengthened the monitoring of irregular transactions and the fight against competition manipulation. However, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, co-founder and global CEO of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), argues that rules and licenses alone do not guarantee integrity. The sector needs to transform alerts into investigations and effective sanctions, as well as enhance cooperation mechanisms among operators, regulators, and sports entities.

Minimum Integrity Requirements in Sports Betting

According to Medeiros, regulation without integrity is merely a commercial authorization. An integral market requires not only a license but also a constant system of compliance and oversight. Medeiros lists five essential principles for any regulation of sports betting:

1. Rigorous licensing: clearly identifying who controls the operator, the source of funds, and its financial and technological capacity.
2. Independent technical supervision: real audit, investigative power, and the ability to sanction.
3. Identification of bettors and financial traceability: permanent monitoring of transactions.
4. Immediate communication and sharing of suspicious information: secure channels and clear exchange protocols.
5. Clear assumption of responsibilities by sports: transparent rules, protected reporting channels, independent investigations, and effective sanctions.

In addition to these principles, continuous education, responsible gambling, whistleblower protection, and the fight against the illegal market must be integrated into the integrity system. SIGA's Universal Standards and the independent verification system SIRVS are, according to Medeiros, reliable tools for measuring real progress.

Information Sharing: The Core of Effective Cooperation

The efficient exchange of information among operators, regulators, and sports entities faces barriers of trust and a lack of common protocols. Medeiros notes that the problem is not the lack of data but the absence of trust and clarity on what to share, how, when, and under what legal protection. Uncertainties persist regarding confidentiality, data protection, and procedural use of information.

There is still no common language to define unusual patterns, and permanent contact points are lacking. Therefore, SIGA has developed Universal Integrity Standards in Sports Betting, turning cooperation into obligations and verifiable results. In Brazil, the FAIR forum—composed of ten authorized operators who are members of SIGA LATIN AMERICA—aims to build trust and recognition of risks, although its role is complementary to the regulator. Medeiros proposes a national integrity platform linked to international networks, operational at all times, that defines responsibilities and streamlines the transmission of relevant alerts to those who can act.

Investigation and Sanction against Manipulation in Betting

Detecting suspicious signals is just the beginning. The main bottleneck, Medeiros points out, is ensuring that these signals reach investigative bodies in a timely manner and have probative validity. Account cross-checks, monitoring of financial flows, and preservation of evidence under law and due process are required.

Frequently, sports organizations lack investigative capacity, and authorities receive data out of context. Sports and criminal processes have different rhythms and standards of proof, but they must coordinate without obstructing each other. Medeiros demands clear protocols, assignment of functions, and specialized professionals who connect intelligence with solid evidence, enabling effective actions against detected anomalies.

"An anomaly in betting is a relevant alert, but not a conviction. It’s the beginning of the work, not its end." — Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA

Challenges of the Illegal Market and Ecosystem Responsibility

Protecting sports is unviable if a significant portion of betting occurs outside the regulated market. For Medeiros, the illegal market represents a blind spot: without player identification or reports of anomalies, it constitutes a channel for fraud, money laundering, and manipulation. He differentiates between legal operators—identifiable and auditable—and those who operate outside the law.

Brazil reinforced its mechanisms in 2026 to financially choke unauthorized offers; now the urgency lies in effectively executing those measures. The fight against illegality involves not only regulators and operators but also financial institutions, digital platforms, social networks, app stores, media, and affiliates—all responsible for preventing the circulation and visibility of illegal offers.

Regulation, Restrictions, and Higher Risk Betting Markets

The debate on restrictions to certain markets, especially those exposed to manipulation risks in less visible sports or bets on individual actions, requires an evidence-based and proportional approach. Medeiros rejects the dichotomy between banning everything or allowing everything. The effective response involves adjustable regulation based on risk, with exposure limits, suspension of live markets, reliable data, and traceability. The prohibition should only apply if there are no minimum conditions of integrity, avoiding displacing demand to illegality. Each decision must be consultative, revisable, and justified based on concrete data.

Prevention and Education in Sports Integrity

Prevention is, for Medeiros, the first defense against manipulation, beginning by reducing the vulnerabilities of athletes and participants. Factors like delayed salaries or precarious contracts increase exposure to manipulators. A study presented in May 2026 to the Copenhagen Group showed that 65% of surveyed athletes had never received training on result manipulation, and only half of those who had been approached reported the incident.

Practical education must start in training categories and adapt to each role. Medeiros highlights the work of EPIC Global Solutions, a partner of SIGA, which promotes learning from lived experiences, making the rules tangible and less abstract for those involved. Whistleblower channels must be independent, confidential, and offer real protection against retaliation.

Regional Cooperation and Proposals for an Ibero-American Strategy

Looking ahead to the SBC Summit 2026 and the Ibero-American Forum on Integrity in Sports Betting in Lisbon, Medeiros advocates for moving from generic declarations to concrete measures: common protocols, a network of focal points, an execution calendar, and standard classification of alerts. The threat is transnational: betting, platforms, and criminal networks operate on an international scale. SIGA proposes regional coordination based on its standards and European experience, facilitating bridges with Latin America.

Portugal and Spain, signatories of the Macolin Convention, can serve as a link for the transfer of best practices. Brazil received a formal invitation in 2026 to join this convention, opening a historic opportunity to strengthen international cooperation. Success, asserts Medeiros, will be measured by response time, prevented cases, and effective sanctions—not by the number of signatures obtained in a photograph.

"Success is not measured by the number of signatures in a photo, but by the time between the alert and action and by the accountability achieved." — Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA

Prospects for the Brazilian Market

Brazil has shown significant progress, consolidating federal regulations, creating authorized markets, and defining competencies between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Sport. SIGA has collaborated through agreements with the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting and other relevant entities. However, operational integration remains a pending challenge: clearly defining alert flows, channels, and timelines, and measuring impact with aggregated data on investigations and prevention. Medeiros underscores that integrity can no longer be just an electoral campaign message, but a public policy founded on evidence and shared responsibility.