How
many projects are in progress to release gaming activity?
There are two different bills under discussion in
Congress.
One of them is the Regulatory Framework of
the Gaming in Brazil, which is in the Chamber of Deputies. It evaluates 14
proposals on legalization of casinos, bingos, slot machines, local popular
"jogo do bicho” and online gaming. All proposals were brought together in Bill
442/91, presented 26 years ago.
Casinos: They would work within leisure complexes built for the purpose
of gaming. The same economic group could not have more than one establishment
in the same state and would be limited to five casinos in Brazil. Accreditation
would be worth 30 years.
Bingos: it
would be the municipality's responsibility to license and supervise bingos,
whose concession term would be 20 years. City with more than 50 thousand
inhabitants could have up to 500 videobingo machines; With less than 50
thousand, the limit is 300 machines. There are still restrictions on the
proximity between bingos and casinos.
Jogo do bicho: Licensing and enforcement
would be in charge of the states. The term of accreditation would be 20 years.
The other bill is in the Senate. Introduced last year, bill 186/2016 intends to
legalize the operation of casinos, bingos, and "jogo do bicho”. The proposal is
divided into three sections: casinos, bingos and "jogo do bicho”.
Casinos:
They would work within leisure complexes, with hotel accommodations,
restaurants, bars, shopping centers and venues for events. A maximum of 35
casinos would be allowed in the country, only three per state. Accreditation
for each casino would be worth 30 years.
Bingos: They
could not have other games of chance in the same establishment. A bingo would
be allowed for every 150,000 inhabitants of a city. Municipalities with
populations under 150 thousand could only have one bingo.
"Jogo do bicho”: It would be regulated by local city halls. The
activity would cease to be criminal contravention.
What does the government think?
Officially, President Michel Temer is against regulation and should not
interfere in the negotiations of projects that are in Congress. However,
according to sources heard by GLOBO, some ministers work the opposite way.
Seduced by the possibility of generating incomes through gambling taxes, the
economic team has prepared a provisional measure to allow sports betting if
Congress delayes approving the projects. Even in terms of intentions, this year's
budget already counts with legalization, according to the Ministry of Planning.
How much can the games yield to the
government?
Officially, this year's Budget includes only the sale of 49% of Lotex (the
lotteries of Caixa), which should yield around US$ 965 million. However,
internally, the Ministry of Finance projects to raise US$ 5.5 billion in three
years. The account of the technicians is very conservative. Only in 2017, the
forecast is something around US$ 2.25 billion without the operation of Lotex.
Other technicians, more optimistic, say that the collection can reach US$ 9.65
billion per year. For the "Arrecada Brasil" movement, which advocates
legalization, the expectation is that if the gaming is released, the government
will raise US$ 11.9 billion per year.
How much illegal gambling does move?
The main pro-gaming NGOs estimate that, today, the illegal gambling market
circulates almost US$ 6.45 billion, much more than the official games in the
country, around US$ 3.85 billion. The estimate is that only the "jogo do
bicho”, the most popular in the country, move US$ 3.85 billion in illegality,
distributed in 350 thousand points of game across the country, against only 13
thousand lottery points.
Is there another proposal?
Tourism Minister, Marx Beltrão, defends the release only for large casinos
with integrated resorts. The money raised from them should be linked to health,
education and social security. The idea is that Brazil could open six
concessions immediately in the states of Rio and São Paulo and another four in
the South, Midwest, North and Northeast regions. The assessment is that there
is room to house up to 20 ventures like this. The example is Singapore, which
gave only one concession - a huge resort with casino, shopping, restaurants,
theater, convention center and even amusement park. The number of tourists in
the country jumped from 9.7 million per year to 17 million. Tourism revenue
increased from US$ 12.8 billion to US$ 23.5 billion, Beltrão said.
Online betting is allowed?
Betting websites are not regulated in Brazil. Despite this, sites,
especially those involving sports betting, operate freely. It is estimated that
the online gaming moves, today, around US$ million per year in the country.
Several sites already produce content in Portuguese. The estimate is that there
are about 700 sites, 10% of them in Portuguese and betting for games of
Brazilian championships. However, the main betting sites used by Brazilians are
based in Costa Rica, Gibraltar, Isle of Man and other tax havens. Sports
marketing experts say the simple regulation of online gambling does not mean
that the sites would have headquarters in Brazil. The reason is simple: payment
of taxes.
Has gambling been allowed in Brazil?
Gambling has been banned since 1946, when then-President Eurico Gaspar
Dutra gave way to women's pressure, known as Dona Santinha, and banned all
forms of gambling on national territory. In 2001, bingos were allowed to
operate. In that year, the federal government's revenue was only US$ 19.6 million.
Permission lasted until 2004.
Source: GMB / O Globo
