Ten thousand people to participate in demonstration for the bingo legalization in Brazil

Last April 13th the Federal Police broke up an organization that bought sentences in order to benefit the gaming maffia, so from that moment, bingo halls were suspended the appeals for protection that allowed their operation. In several parts of the country, the Judicial power annulled the operating permits of this centers.

According to the Trade Union Force, bingo halls are important to guarantee the level of employment, because around 300 thousand people would get direct or indirect jobs related to this activirty.

At the beginning of May, Pro-Bingo Movement gathered the owners of bingo halls in order to plan strategies to put pressure on the government and the Congress to regulate the activity in Brazil.

In that meeting, bingo operators decided to close bingos around the country on May 15 to 17. The strategy is also a way to put pressure on the federal government and the congress in order to regulate the activity in Brazil.

“We will support trade unions. Businessmen will help their employees to go to Brazilia. Eventually, they will contribute providing buses, for example”, said Abrabin President (Brazilian Bingo Association), Olavo Sales de Oliveira.

Sales de Oliveira thinks that around 30,000 resignations will occur in the City of San Pablo due to the end of this activity, and calculates that around 100 halls will still be operating in the city via appeals for protection.

Since the beginning of Operación Huracán (Hurricane Operation), held in April, several bingo halls were closed. Twenty five people were initially arrested. Four of them were released with with privileged code of laws: ex VP of TRF (Regional Federal Court) of the 2nd Region, Judge José Eduardo Carreira Alvim; judge Ricardo de Siqueira Regueira, also from TRF 2nd Region and Regional Attorney of Rio Republic, Joã Sérgio Leal Pereira.

The other 21 people had been ordered preventive custody, and later, Justice ordered the imprisonment of other three people, increasing to 24 the number of people accused in the investigation held in the 6th Criminal Chamber of Río. The four people accused with privileged code of laws will have to present their defense at STF (Supreme Federal Tribunal).