VIE 29 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 09:22hs.
For political parties campaigns

Project that allows bingos and lotteries to raise money takes shape in Brazil

The bill that brings new rules to the political-electoral system approved on Tuesday (12) in a committee of the House of Representatives, authorizes political parties to organize draws, bingos, and lotteries to raise money in Brazil. The controversial proposal is part of the base text approved by the collegiate. A highlight presented by PSOL proposes to withdraw this part of the project and should be analyzed on today (Wednesday 13).

A committee that discusses one of the projects of the political reform in the House of Representatives approved a proposal on Tuesday (12), which frees bingos exploration by political parties as form of fundraising. The changes may already be in the next year's election campaign.

According to deputy Vicente Cândido (PT-SP), rapporteur of the bill approved on Tuesday, he included the idea in the report at the request of "party presidents", among them the president of the São Paulo PT, Luiz Marinho, former prefect of São Bernardo do Campo.

Throughout the course of the project in the commission, Vicente was pressured by other deputies to withdraw the proposal from the text, but he did not back down. Parliamentarians say that the article directly benefits the PT, which has a mobilized militancy and capillarity to organize this type of event and raise money for the party's coffers.

"We are against this proposal. Opening this window is very bad, it is uncontrollable. How will te party report to the Electoral Court every bingo? It is an extremely vague proposal," criticized the deputy Ivan Valente (PSOL-SP).

Since 2004, the operation of bingo houses and slot machines has been banned in Brazil. Only philanthropic entities, such as nonprofit associations and churches, can promote such events.

The report approved by the commission also determines that a natural person can donate, for each position in dispute, up to 10% of his income from the previous year, reaching a maximum of ten minimum wages for each position. As in the 2018 elections there will be five positions in dispute, one person can donate up to R$ 50,000 (USD 16,000).

The text also establishes a limit for self-financing, that is, how much a candidate can donate to himself, being R$ 10 thousand (USD 3,000) for candidates to more importante positions and 7% of the top for other ones. The bill also bans the release of polls in the week before the elections.

Source: GMB