"Having any of the two projects approved will be a victory for the Brazilian gambling industry"

Maia is closely following the parliamentary debate. The lawyer will be attending this year's G2E Las Vegas show to take place this month and later in November he will be speaking at the Brazilian Gaming Congress in Sao Paulo. This is what he had to say about the pro-gambing debate in the South American giant.

What are the highlights of the projects that the Lower House and the Senate are treating in Brazil? What should be the future of the bills considering the political scenario there?

The project that was approved by the Lower House special committee has a lot of details and covers different aspects: slots, sports betting and online gambling. It was a complex debate, with lots of people involved and many interests at stake. The bill sets an amnisty for past crimes: that is, those people who were sentenced for illegally operating gaming activities, whose legal processes have concluded, will be pardoned, which is a highly controversial point. I think the best the project has is the tax system it proposes. I worked intensely with lawmakers to explain to them how the tax system works. There is a huge difference between the first draft and the final version. I think the result was very positive.

Meanwhile, in the Senate a new project is being addressed. The text is very good although it needs some corrections when it comes to taxes, especially in what has to do with income tax. We have to consider that this project came from the Government. It was carried out by Finance Ministry experts. This is very positive considering that main national media echoed the news on Thursday that the Caixa Econômica Federal was planning to list two companies on the stock exchange market in 2017, while it readies the creation of an exploitation unit for bingos, casinos and a legalized version of the “Jogo de Bicho”. We must consider that the National Development Special Committee ends, meaning that if the new text is approved, without the opposition of at least eight senators, it goes straight to the Lower House. I think that the fact that having any of the two projects approved, will be a victory for the gaming industry.

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The Senate bill has more chances. The Lower House will likely changethe text that comes from the Senate. It's all about politics. If the government shows an effort, the project could be approved withough major ammendments

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When should news be expected?

We should have news by the end of September or in October although voting sessions will be held before that. Even though the bill could be approved this year, I think it is most likely to be passed by the beginning of next year.

How do you think the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff will impact the gaming industry in Brazil?

I don't see much difference between Dilma Rousseff and Michel Temer. It is important that the Senate is no longer involved in the impeachment process so that it begins working on other matters. The Finance Ministry experts that are working on the project were in their position before Rousseff's impeachment process.