The effort to legalize casino gaming in Brazil could be coming to a head within the next several weeks. Federal Deputy Herculano Passos, a major figure in the drive, told Games Magazine Brazil last week that he believes the votes are lined up to pass the measure.
Passos, who chairs the Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism, said efforts by other organizations to move the bill forward has him confident it will be successful.
“I believe, yes, that we will have the necessary votes for the approval in both houses of the legislature,” he told the magazine.
Passos is also president of the Tourism Front (Frentur). He says that organization has been crucial in the campaign.
“Since 2015, Frentur has been articulating the legalization of casinos,” he said. “We have been able to mobilize all segments of the trade interested in this agenda, we have participated in many debates in this regard, both in Brazil and abroad, and we have met with representatives of countries interested in investing in this sector in our country. Now, we join the Parliamentary Front for the approval of the Gaming Regulatory Framework in Brazil to join efforts in this direction.”
Passos says it doesn’t matter which house of the legislature acts first.
“If the bill of the Senate is approved before the one of the House, it will come here and they can be united and proceed together,” he says. “If the House bill is approved first, the bill goes to the Senate and it can also be processed there.”
Meanwhile, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia, said he supports the legalization of gaming if it will spur tourism. Maia is an important voice to join the pro-gaming forces because he not only influences fellow legislators, but he also schedules votes on bills, something crucial to the track of the current gaming bills.
