In Brazil, the Chamber of Deputies’ Tourism Commission announced it will launch a new initiative, sponsored by Deputy Newton Cardoso, to explore legalizing gambling.
The Chamber of Deputies previously approved bill 442/91, the Regulatory Framework of Gambling, but it hasn’t moved forward in the Senate since landing there in February.
Cardoso said, “The debate on the subject is timely and of national interest, since the legalization of gambling is shown as a promising path for the recovery of the economy, above all, generating jobs and foreign exchange for the country.”
The bill would allow permanent or temporary licenses for gambling, including bingo, casinos, horse and dog racing and integrated resorts. Each state could have one casino; Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas and Pará each would be allowed two casinos and São Paulo could have up to three.
The bill also would authorize floating river casinos; the number of casinos per river, between one and 10, would depend on the river’s length.
Sponsors of the Senate bill say they won’t push for a vote before the upcoming presidential election, which will occur on October 2. The election pits leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, against the far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, a populist who has opposed the legalization of gaming. Bolsonaro admits that the Senate has enough votes to overturn his veto, but it’s projected that a Lula victory would mean the approval of legalized gaming in Brazil.
