THE São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) announced that it will require all referees on its staff to register their CPFs on the federal arbitration platform self-exclusion from bookmakersa tool created by the Ministry of Finance to restrict access to betting by people with influence on sporting results.
The measure will be formalized in the entity’s new General Arbitration Regulations, becoming mandatory for those who work in arbitration in São Paulo. The initiative is part of a broader effort by the São Paulo federation to reinforce integrity in football and combat risks of corruption or external interference in matches.
The self-exclusion tool, launched in December 2025, allows the user to block their CPF for access to betting platforms for periods ranging from one month to indefinite, with the option to reconsider in 30 days, and technically prevents the creation of accounts on these platforms. National and international sporting regulations already prohibit referees, athletes and managers from placing bets as they pose a risk of conflict of interest and manipulation of results.
The FPF has also maintained, since 2015, an integrity committee, with an anonymous reporting channel and mechanisms for preventing and investigating match-fixing in football in São Paulo. The requirement follows similar initiatives by the Brazilian Football Confederation, which determined that referees from its first professional class must prove the exclusion of their CPFs from bets.
Experts say self-exclusion is an additional barrier to protecting the integrity of competitions, although combating illegal betting and educating about responsible gambling are also important factors in preventing fraudulent practices in sport.
“These measures represent an important advance in the consolidation of safer practices in the sector. Self-blocking tools are essential for managing compulsiveness. However, adjusting limits at the time of registration and the conscious use of self-control tools are even more important steps to ensure that betting continues to be a form of entertainment and not a risk”, said Cristiano Costa, clinical and organizational psychologist and director of knowledge (CKO) at the Brazilian Compulsive Support Company (EBAC), to CNN Brazil.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
