Zona de Azar Brasil – Brasil: Authorization of Bingos and Casinos will be Voted on Wednesday

Brasil.-  June 19, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com   The second part of the session of the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), this Wednesday (19), right after the hearing of authorities scheduled for 10 am, will be dedicated to analyzing a single item: the bill (PL) 2,234 /2022 which authorizes the operation of casinos and bingos. At last Wednesday’s meeting (12), Senator Irajá (PSD-TO) even 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 for Wednesday this week.

PL 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, without consensus for voting. The text allows the installation of casinos in tourist centers or integrated leisure complexes, such as high-end hotels, restaurants, bars and places for meetings and cultural events. To date, 38 amendments have been presented to the matter.

According to the proposal, the installation of casinos in tourist centers or integrated leisure complexes will be authorized, that is, high-end hotels with at least 100 rooms, in addition to restaurants, bars and places 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 may have up to three casinos, and Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas and Pará, which may have up to two each, due to the size of the population or territory.

Casinos may also be installed on maritime vessels (with a limit of ten, throughout the country) and on river ships with at least 50 rooms, within the following limits: one casino on each river with a length between 1,500 and 2,500 kilometers; two in each river with a length between 2,500 and 3,500 kilometers and three in each river with a length above 3,500 kilometers. River vessels with casinos cannot be anchored in the same location for more than 30 days in a row.

To operate, each casino — defined as a place where games of chance or skill are played through bets 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. Accreditation will be valid for 30 years, renewable for the same period.

During a speech in the 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 stated that the proposal has the potential to generate R$44 billion in investments and create 700,000 direct jobs, in addition to doubling the number of foreign tourists in the country.

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

Senator Irajá also highlighted that the text establishes specific rules for different types of games. He mentions that there are strict financial control mechanisms and measures against organized crime. Furthermore, he highlighted that a national policy would be created focusing on the prevention and treatment of ludopathy [gaming addiction].

Divergences

At the last meeting of the CCJ, senators against the proposal claimed that the permission will not bring any economic advantage to the country and will promote negative consequences, such as encouraging the commission of crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion.

— The World Health Organization itself considers ludopathy [addiction to gambling] an increasingly serious disease, which has devastated jobs, because people are starting to lose productivity; It has devastated the family, because the person begins to lose loved ones, who begin 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 authorization, either due to the lack of control bodies to monitor casinos and bingos, or due to the increase in crime and the emergence of new social problems. They cite as a possible consequence of the release of the game the increase in alcohol and drug dependence, in addition to encouraging prostitution.

— 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 (Reproduction authorized upon citation from Agência Senado)

Fonte: Agência Senado

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