The Senate Constitution and Justice Committee has a meeting scheduled for this Wednesday (15), at 10 a.m., and on the agenda is the vote on Bill 2.234/2022, which legalizes casinos, bingos, and the "jogo do bicho". The rapporteur, Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), has already anticipated a favorable vote on the matter. Last week, the CCJ held a fruitful public hearing, which discussed the benefits of the activity for the economy.
Bill 2.234/2022 authorizes the installation of casinos in tourist hubs or integrated leisure complexes, with a limit of one casino per state and in the Federal District, except for São Paulo, which could have up to three casinos, and Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, and Pará, where the limit for each state is two casinos.
According to the proposal, already approved in the Chamber of Deputies within the scope of Bill 442/91, gaming houses on maritime and river vessels, which will follow specific rules, can also operate. The casino must prove a minimum integrated social capital of at least R$ 100 million and can be accredited for 30 years.
The proposition also establishes rules for the game of bingo in card and electronic modalities, and allows in each state the accreditation of a legal entity for every 700,000 inhabitants for the exploitation of the "jogo do bicho".
In this case, the authorizations will be valid for 25 years, renewable for an equal period. Horse races may be exploited by turf entities (linked to turf) accredited in the Ministry of Agriculture, which may also explore, at the same time, games of bingo and video bingo.
In his report, Irajá dismissed as "undetermined legal concept" the offense to morals and good customs, used as an argument against gambling, and highlighted that the project deals with passing to the State's control a practice that today constitutes a misdemeanor.
Citing statistics on the market for legal or illegal bets, Irajá concludes that "gambling already constitutes a relevant economic activity". The rapporteur rejected the amendments offered by the senators and offered a drafting amendment replacing the mentions to "Ministry of Economy" by "Ministry of Finance".
Positive public hearing
Last week, the CCJ held a productive public hearing to discuss the topic. In addition to some opponents to the approval of the matter, the hearing included Alex Pariente, VP of casino and hotel operations at Hard Rock International, Carlos Henrique Sobral, from the Ministry of Tourism, Guilherme Luís Dias, specialist in supervision and regulation, Thiago Borges, VP of the Brazilian Association of Resorts, and Manoel Cardoso Linhares, president of the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry, among others.
The most consistent statements came from Alex Pariente, VP of casino and hotel operations at Hard Rock International.
For him, the casino is an entertainment activity and accepted in most of the world. "There are few places where some form of gambling is not authorized. And the success of the industry, as an economic activity, is undeniable", he stated.
He recalled that "gambling already exists, it just needs to be legalized, as it does not guarantee revenue for the government. Legalizing ensures control, creation of formal jobs, and attraction of foreign investments".
Representing the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Henrique Sobral spoke, presenting an overview of the sector in Brazil and the challenge that the country has to surpass the mark of 6 million foreign tourists per year.
"Our expectation, with the integrated resorts, is to increase the number of jobs by 20%. In terms of investments, we could go from R$ 5.6 billion to R$ 66 billion, while revenues would jump 15%, reaching R$ 74 billion".
According to him, the installation of integrated resorts in Brazil will be preceded by studies and research in terms of social and economic feasibility to define the locations that will receive such enterprises.
Sobral highlighted that 71% of the countries that are part of the WTO World Tourism Organization have legalized gambling. And of those that have not legalized the activity, 75% of them are Islamic. "In the G20, 93% of the nations have legalized gambling. Only Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia do not authorize it, the latter two being Islamic".
He concluded: "In the UN, 75% have legalized gambling, with Brazil being among the 14% non-Islamic that have not legalized the activity. And in South America, only Brazil and Bolivia have not legalized gambling".
In defending the activity, Carlos Sobral stated that "destinations with integrated resorts have achieved rapid economic development, with Las Vegas, Macau, and Singapore being emblematic".
Source: GMB
