The Senate Constitution and Justice Committee has a meeting scheduled for this Wednesday (17), at 10 a.m., with 20 items on the agenda. One of them is the project that expands the range of authorized gambling games in the country (PL 2.234/2022). From former congressman Renato Vianna (MDB-SC), the project authorizes, among other modalities, the operation of casinos and bingos, legalizes the "jogo do bicho" and allows betting on horse races. The rapporteur, Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), is in favor of the matter.
The text authorizes the installation of casinos in tourist hubs or integrated leisure complexes, under the limit of one casino per state and in the Federal District, with the exception of 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, 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 cart 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 "an indeterminate legal concept" the offense to morals and good customs, used as an argument against gambling, and highlighted that the project deals with passing to state 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 significant 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".
The matter had already been scheduled for the end of December 2023 and was not brought to vote due to the cancellation of the meeting due to the tight schedule in the Senate because of the parliamentary recess and other relevant items to be discussed in Parliament.
Source: Senate Agency
