Brazil inches closer to legalizing gambling

With the approval of PLS 186/2014 -granted by a special committee from the so-called Brazil Agenda in the Senate, the country has taken a major step towards legalizing gambling. The project will now be discussed by the Deputies House.
As Yogonet readers will recall, the bill was passed on Wednesday by eight votes in favour (Blairo Maggi, Benedito de Lira, Paulo Paim, Paulo Rocha, Acir Gurgacz, Waldir Raupp, Antônio Anastasia and Flexa Ribeiro), two against (Randolfe Rodrigues e Lúcia Vnia) and an abstention (Gleisi Hoffmann).

The Bill

The project, authored by Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), would allow casinos (land-based betting and online gambling) and bingos (traditional, online and videobingo) to operate in the country, and would also legalize gaming (slot machines), and "jogo do bicho".

PLS 186/2014 outlines definitions for the different types of gambling that will be permitted, as well as the criteria for authorization and the rules for the distribution of awards and tax collection.

Nogueira, architect of the law, believes it is “inconsistent to give differentiated treatment to the 'jogo do bicho' while allowing and regulating the existing forms of Federal Lottery.” The Senator said in a statement that clandestine bets move 4,800 million dollars a year.

First step towards final approval

Being an amended text, the bill will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies this week and will be subject to an additional vote shift. The item has already been included in the Commission's next session guideline.

It's important to stress that, almost in every occasion and at this instance of the process, it would be odd for the bill to be rejected in additional instances.

“Any modification to this already positive outcome is practically impossible,” wrote a parliamentary expert in a text which was published by BNL Magocom of Brazil news portal.

Second step in the process

The proposal will be appended to PL 442/91 and fourteen more bills that are pending on approval by Brazil's Comisión Especial de Marco Regulatorio de los Juegos de Azar.

The Commission has a maximum of 40 sessions (three months) to give its final opinion on the matter. According to sources consulted by Yogonet, this instance should be a quick process, since there is now a consensus in the Parliament to give feasibility to the projects that comprise the so-called Brazil Agenda, which was designed to give quick solutions to the economic crisis that is affecting the country.

Last stage before approval

Once approved by the Gaming Commission, the proposal will be discussed in Deputies' plenary and would only return to the Senate if there were any new amendments to the previously approved text. Since the bill was initially analyzed and discussed in the Senate, it will be the Senate who will give final word on the matter.

Having been approved by the Congress, the Act will be submitted to presidential penalty, which will issue a decree that will regulate the law.

Everything seems to indicate that Brazil, the South American giant who has been asleep for a longtime, is about to awaken.