The debate over the legalization of gambling in Brazil is almost as old as its ban, decreed in April 1946 by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, the first of the redemocratization phase, after the end of the dictatorship of the Estado Novo Vargas. From those times were records of famous casinos of Rio de Janeiro, like the one of the Urca and the Quitandinha, in Petropolis. It was the memory of great concerts, with national and foreign musicians and singers, a glamor brand that was part of a golden age of Rio.
Time has passed, gambling in casinos has gone into illegality, and so it has been to this day. This newspaper supported President Dutra in that decision, and was always critical of the possibility of its return, due to the aspect of the addiction and the risk of being another breach to be exploited by organized crime, especially for money laundering. The same motives that led Dutra to lower the decree of 1946.
In these 72 years, however, the advance of digital technology has rendered a formal prohibition that can not prevent gaming from being done electronically, beyond the reach of the Brazilian State. It is enough to install servers in countries where there is a friendly tax treatment for casinos and, from there, receive bets from Brazilians.
This is what has been happening for a long time, and increasingly. Specialists in the business estimate that R$50 billion (USD 15bn) circulates in Brazil through the various legal and illegal gambling modalities: lotteries, turf, sports betting (especially football), jogo do bicho, casinos, etc.
This is an underestimated figure, it is said. There is still great potential to explore. While per capita spending on gaming in Brazil, according to reliable data, is USD18.53, in Portugal it reaches USD228. In Uruguay, USD40 and, in Argentina, USD26. Only in the city of New York, reaches USD$ 456.
The point is that, now, common sense advises to legalize electronic gambling and tourism real estate projects, with a wide offer for visitors, including convention centers, hotels and casinos. Like Singapore, for example.
One of the two bills to regulate the return of gaming was rejected in the Senate. But there is another one in the Chamber. It is an opportunity to address the issue realistically.
It is known that the PCC (Editor’s Note: according to local Government report, the largest Brazilian criminal organization) and militias started to exploit online gaming, in some cases in place of bicheiros (operators of jogo do bicho). The only way to exercise effective control of this business is to formalize it, recognize yourself.
Las Vegas, founded by the Mafia, then away from the casinos, shows that it is possible for the public power to oversee gambling, without forgetting treatment for addicts to the activity. There is no lack of technology in this digital world to monitor casinos and electronic gambling in general. But they need to be exposed to sunlight.
Source: GMB / O Globo
