Once again, lawmakers opposed to legal gambling in Brazil maneuvered in the Senate to postpone the vote and approval of the bill that authorizes casinos, bingos, and the "jogo do bicho" in the country. The Senate Public Security Committee approved, this Tuesday (28), the holding of a public hearing to discuss the impacts of the legalization of gambling on public security.
The meeting responds to a request from Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), who opposes legal gambling in Brazil and Bill 2.234/2022, which allows the exploitation of casinos, bingos, "jogo do bicho", and turf betting in the country.
In the request, the usual arguments that the legalization would promote an increase in crimes such as money laundering, tax evasion, and prostitution.
The misinformation – or prejudice – is so great, that the mentioned senator also questions the integrity of the tourists who may come to Brazil encouraged by gambling.
“There is a vast possibility that gambling attracts a kind of unqualified tourism that Brazil does not need, which seeks the conveniences of a still poor nation like ours, such as prostitution, especially child and juvenile prostitution [...] Gambling raises numerous questions that lead us to believe that there is an urgent need for a broader debate with society,” says the senator.
This lawmaker, along with other senators, recently defended in the Plenary the holding of more public hearings on the subject in other committees.
Bill 2.234/2022, already approved in the Chamber of Deputies within the framework of Bill 442/91, will only be voted on in the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) before going to the Plenary.
The scheduling of the public hearing is awaited in the coming days, as Bill 2.234/2022 may be placed on the agenda at the CCJ meeting on June 5. As lawmakers in favor of illegal gambling will likely request a review, the saga is expected to extend for a few more weeks.
Source: GMB / Senate Agency
