The bill that will release bingos divides Brazilian representatives

With strong arguments pro and against the sigue, both sides are setting a scenery of political war around the vote in plenary. The biggest ally in the cause, the trade union, promises to bring caravans in all the states and recreate the demonstration of 2004, that gathered in Brazilia 30,000 people in protest against the provisional measure that closed bingos.
 
The entity does not reveal how much will it spend in the movilization, but assures that it will not measure its efforts to approve the project. “We support the cause because it is extremely important for the economy and the generation of employment in the country”, explained the representative Paulo Pereira da Silva PDT-RJ), president of the entity and leader of the movement for the gaming release. It estimates that the release of games will create more than 300,000 jobs and will generate us$ 3,3 billion annually in taxes and royalties for social areas.
 
On the other hand, the trinchera opuesta has two divisions, one headed by PSDB, with a great part of the 70 votes against the release, and the other leaded by  evangelics, that has 41 votes. “I see the release with mistrust, because all the backgrounds of bingo target to criminality, corruption and money laundering,” said the leader of PSDB, José Aníbal (SP). “Corruption and drugs are together with the gaming activities that wants to be introduced in the country”, added representative Antônio Carlos Biscaia (PT-RJ), another opponents.
 
Catholics are divided, which favors those in favour of gaming, which have also got support from all the political parties, from conservatives to left parties.

The gaming block voting want the bill to be voted in the second fortnight of October. A group of 28 legislators, associated by Arnaldo Farias de Sá (PTB-SP), signed the original project of legalization, but it is estimated that the gaming side has at least the three times of those exhibited in public.

Bingo supporters achieved to invade even the evangelic group. In order to neutralize  the lobby of faith, they included an article that stipulates in 500 metres the minimum distance that bingo halls should keep from temples and schools. In big cities such as San Pablo, the measure will simply not allow the existence of bingos in several neighbourhoods.

The main argument of legislators against the legalization of games of chance is that they are fertile lands for money laundering and organized crime. The head of the technical base of the project, representative João Dado (PDT-SP), a former agent of San Pablo treasury, said that the accusation is inadmissible. Besides, he explained that each gambling hall will be connected to the computers of the reserve and a clean record of the businessmen will be demanded, both in the civil and criminal justice. “They will also have to have financial solvency,” he said.
 
The text that will be voted in the plenary of the Chamber determines that the winner of each prize is identified by CPF. “The Reserve will have absolute control on each real that enters and leaves a bingo hall”, the representative said, who thinks that the project legalizes and at the same time sanctions all those that do not respect the law.

On top of motivating the base to go to Brazilia to press the Congress, representative  Paulinho da Força (PDT-SP) will be in charge of articulating the alliances with the parties and obtain votes to assure the victory in plenary. The first step is to detect the focal points of resistance in each side. Then, da Força will organize a meeting with the leaders to intensify meetings separately with each of the sides.

Besides, the group in favor of gaming will print leaflets and will distribute studies with technical arguments. Powerful Brazilian Bingo Association will bring its financial and logistic support to such actions.

The entity considers the approval of the strategic project because, on top of the immediate effect of reopening thousands of halls in all the states, it leads the way for the release of other games in future, such as casinos. A study entrusted by the entity, targets the gaming market with a potential to move us$ 5.3 billion annually, three times more than what la Caixa collects with all its lotteries.