ECUADOR’S President Guillermo Lasso, on Monday, declared a state of emergency and night curfews in three coastal provinces, amid a wave of violence over the weekend in the Andean country that left at least eight people dead.
Lasso declared the state of emergency in the provinces of Manabi and Los Rios and in the city of Duran, near Guayaquil, after Agustin Intriago, the mayor of coastal city Manta, was shot dead on Sunday.
It also comes on the back of riots over the weekend in the prison Penitenciaria del Litoral, in Guayaquil, involving clashes between gangs inside the prison.
Lasso has frequently resorted to declaring states of emergency as Ecuador struggles with prison riots and waves of violence throughout the country.
“We cannot deny that organised crime has permeated the state, political organisations and society itself, it is a problem that has been brewing for more than a decade,” Lasso said after a security cabinet meeting.
The state of emergency will last for 60 days in the provinces, while the curfew will vary during that period, the government said.
The murder of Manta’s mayor is under investigation, Lasso said.
Sunday’s riots left at least six inmates dead and 11 injured, according to the SNAI prison authority.
Prisoners also took 96 guards as hostages in jails in Cotopaxi, Azuay, Cañar, El Oro and Napo, and are continuing a hunger strike that began on Sunday in 13 Ecuadorean prisons, without disclosing reasons for the strikes.
The prison system in the South American country has faced structural problems for decades, but jail violence has soared since 2021, killing at least 400 people in frequent confrontations, which have drawn the concern of the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (Reuters)
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Brazil to begin taxing sports betting, aiming to boost revenues
BRAZIL’S government issued an executive order on Tuesday to initiate taxation on sports betting, in line with a measure announced by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s economic team to increase revenues.
The measure takes immediate effect but must be voted on by Congress within four months to remain valid.
Under the new regulation, companies will be subject to an 18 per cent tax on so-called Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
According to the proposal, national or foreign legal entities established in the country and meeting the requirements set forth by the Finance Ministry may apply for authorisation to operate fixed-odds betting lotteries.
In 2018, Brazil passed a law allowing online fixed-odds betting for the first time, permitting bookmakers to offer odds on the outcomes of sports events.
However, the necessary sector regulation was never implemented.
Finance Minister Fernando Haddad stated in March that the measure was necessary as online gambling companies were not paying any taxes while profiting immensely from their operations in the country.
Haddad recently estimated the government would raise about 2 billion reais ($423 million) with the measure in 2024, saying the estimate was conservative.
Internet sports betting firms, including Bet365, Betano, and Betfair, have been expanding globally and strengthening their presence in Brazil by sponsoring major soccer clubs. (Reuters)
