“Brazilian gambling venues could generate 120,000 direct employments”

On top of the jobs, he said, bingo halls will generate collection with the payment of different taxes. Régis de Oliveira underlines that, with the bingo legalization, illegal gaming in Brazil will tend to disappear. “We will have more supervision. The text of the project prevents links with criminality,” he commented.

Another item pointed by the federal representative is the need to obtain a capital of us$ 571,615 declared an income tax so the businessman may open a bingo hall. In the past, such obligations did not exist.

In case the project is approved and sanctioned by president Lula da Silva,  Régis de Oliveira points that “figureheads will disappear.” Many businessmen used names of third parties to open bingo halls and launder money, cheating the Federal Treasury.

He pointed that the text of the project that releases the bingo operation plans the criminal punishment of the illegal gaming operation. Today, the crime is considered a penal infringement. There is a hard punishment for people that infringe the law, which may reach us$ 285,807.

The speaker of the project already achieved that the issue passed by CCJ (Commission of Justice Constitution) of the Chamber. Now, the project will be sent to vote in the plenary. Then, it will be treated by the Senate. Bingo and slots machines will be under the responsibility of the Secretary of State. The organ will be the only one which will have access to the memories of the computers of the games.

“We need to incentivate the country and develop tourism,” said Régis de Oliveira, who is also in favor of the casino legalization.

Despite being approved by most of CCJ members, 40 votes to seven, the project not only receives praises. Federal representative José Eduardo Cardozo, critisized: “The project is fragile, inappropriate and just benefits bingo owners.”

Inside their own commission, the point of view of Régis de Oliveira was attacked by Antonio Carlos Mendes Thame, author of Bill 270/03, which bans bingos, was an acid crytic on the matter. “To create a file with people with gambling problems is almost a joke,” he affirmed.

The text approved by the Commission of Justice is the substitute of representative Régis de Oliveira to bill 2254/07, which is processed together with many others. All of them ask the release of games. That substitute do not include casinos.