Authorisation for bingo halls and casinos to be voted on Wednesday

At the meeting last Wednesday (12), Senator Irajá (PSD-TO) presented a new report and, faced with disagreements on the matter, the president of the CCJ, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), decided to postpone the discussion and analysis until Wednesday of this week.

Bill 2.234/2022, from the Chamber of Deputies, was presented in that House in 1991. In the Senate, it has been in progress since 2022, with no consensus for a vote. The text allows casinos to be set up in tourist centres or integrated leisure complexes, such as high-end hotels, restaurants, bars and venues for meetings and cultural events. So far, 38 amendments have been tabled.

According to the proposal, casinos will be authorised in tourist hubs or integrated leisure complexes, i.e. high standard hotels with at least 100 rooms, as well as restaurants, bars and venues for meetings and cultural events. There will be a limit of one casino in each state and the Federal District, with the exception of São Paulo, which can have up to three casinos, and Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas and Pará, which can have up to two each, due to the size of their population or territory.

Casinos can also be installed on maritime vessels (up to a limit of ten throughout the country) and on river vessels with at least 50 rooms, within the following limits: one casino on each river between 1,500 and 2,500 kilometres; two on each river between 2,500 and 3,500 kilometres and three on each river over 3,500 kilometres. Riverboats with casinos may not remain anchored in the same location for more than 30 days in a row.

In order to operate, each casino - defined as a place where games of chance or skill are played by betting on roulette wheels, cards, dice or gaming machines - will need to prove a minimum paid-up share capital of at least one hundred million reais. The licence will be valid for 30 years, renewable for the same period.

During his speech in plenary last week, Senator Irajá said that the text aims to promote tourism, boost the economy and guarantee security and transparency in gaming activities. He said that the proposal has the potential to generate R$44 billion in investments and create 700,000 direct jobs, as well as doubling the number of foreign tourists in the country.

- Each unit of the federation will have the opportunity to host at least one integrated resort, allowing tourist capital to be spread evenly and fairly throughout the country. We need to be aware of all the positive impact of this proposal and that, above all, we will be taking a significant step towards the modernisation and transparency of our gaming, entertainment and leisure system - argued the rapporteur.

Senator Irajá also emphasised that the text establishes specific rules for different types of games. He mentions that there are strict financial control mechanisms and measures against organised crime. In addition, he emphasised that a national policy would be created focusing on the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.

Divergences

At the last meeting of the CCJ, senators opposed to the proposal claimed that allowing it would not bring economic benefits to the country and would have negative consequences, such as encouraging the commission of crimes like money laundering and tax evasion. 

- The World Health Organisation itself considers ludopathy [gambling addiction] to be an increasingly serious disease, which has devastated jobs, because people start to lose productivity; it has devastated the family, because the person starts to lose loved ones, who start to suffer the impacts of addiction. This generates crime," said Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE).

In the opinion of these senators, Brazil is not prepared for this authorisation, either because of the lack of control bodies to monitor casinos and bingos, or because of the increase in crime and the emergence of new social problems. 

- We don't want the approval of gambling in our country, we don't want the possibility of money laundering for drug trafficking, we don't want the possibility of tax evasion, we don't want the possibility of Brazilian society sinking even deeper into debt problems - declared Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG).

Agência Senado