Chamber of Deputies approves urgency to vote on the legalization of ´Jogo do Bicho´ and casinos in Brazil

With the approval of the application, the procedure skips a few steps. The text will be analyzed directly by the Plenary without going through commissions. The President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP / AL), in favor of the issue, announced that the merits of the project will be voted on in the first week of February 2022.

“I was elected with a single commitment to listen and guide the different interests of the Chamber. This issue of legalizing gambling in Brazil must be clear, with much debate, with all the convergences and divergences,” said Lira.

The project, by the rapporteur Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), faced resistance from the evangelical caucus. The vote in favor of the application would initially be on Monday (13), but it did not happen due to lack of a quorum, after pressure from evangelical parliamentarians. On Wednesday (15), Carreras presented a new text with 25 proposals.

Agreement between deputies

However, some sources confirmed that Lira negotiated an agreement for the evangelical caucus to vote on the agenda before the end of the year recess in exchange for the discussion of PEC 200/2016, which provides for the exemption of the IPTU (Urban Building and Territorial Tax ) for religious temples whose properties are rented.

For project supporters, legalizing the games would be responsible for bringing jobs and income to Brazil. The deputies against the agenda, which also include members of the public health and safety bank, believe that the release will be responsible for money laundering.

The text, which will replace a bill drafted in 1991, defends that the legalization of casinos in resorts, bingo halls and fixed rate gambling can generate around R $ 20 billion annually in taxes. The project also suggests that more than 200,000 jobs would be created and another 450,000 formalized. Games can be explored through physical and virtual drives.

The union must regulate, says the text

The bill proposes that the market be regulated and supervised by the Union, through the creation of a body yet to be defined. To function legally, companies interested in developing the activity in the country must acquire a license to explore the auction modality, the price of which can reach R $ 200 million, as is the case of casinos integrated with resorts, for example.

“We are proposing a level of taxation that creates incentives for the formalization and competitiveness of Brazilian operators, in the world market. And that it also generates financial resources for the Union, States, Federal District and municipalities to finance social policies,” suggests part of the text.

The proposal increases the penalties for those who exploit the game without a license. Today it is a misdemeanor with three months to a year in prison (plus a fine). It would become a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.

According to the rapporteur, only three of the 20 G20 countries do not have legal gambling: Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Brazil.