Brazil: Casino legalization is sought to be included in the discussion of bingo bill

From a meeting of party leaders that will define if the bingo project will be put in the votation guidelines, it will be able to create the opportunity for the casino amendment to be presented.“We are proposing that the leaders should assume this amendment, so the issue may gain large representation,” affirmed Pernambuco Representative, Sílvio Costa (PTB), in favor of the casino legalization.

According to Costa, who said he had never played and he had never liked the activity, this is the opportunity to discuss the gaming legalization, that would increase tourism in the country and would generate employment, income and collection to the Union and the Status. “A lot of people leaves Brazil to play abroad. They could spend money here. It would be a way to develop poor regions in the North East”, he added.

There is not a draft bill for this amendment yet, but Costa revealed details on how would the proposal be: casinos would be public tenders of the states, that could authorize the operation of just two venues in its territory. Besides, they shouyld have their systems interconnected with the Federal Treasury, to avoid fiscal crimes. The resources collected with the activity would be divided between the Union and the Status. The part of the Union would serve to cover a hole in the bills of the Social Security.

Maurício Rands (PT) is another representative of the state in supporting the casino legalization. “The prohibition is of the decade of the forties. Today we have another type of society and efficient mechanisms of control”, he said.

The leader of the PT in the chamber, Fernando Ferro, said that the government has not presented a study on the technical feasibility to monitor the casino activity yet. So, without this support from the government, Ferro affirmed that he does not believe there is a consensus among the leaders to take the proposal to votation. However, he assured that, if the government presents a proposal of casino audit. the project should obtain the support of the Chamber.