Vermelho said that tourism was one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic and cited an account by the chairman of the Tourism Commission, deputy Bacelar, who also chairs the Mixed Parliamentary Front for approval of the Gaming Regulatory Framework.
According to the survey, losses in the tourism sector in one year add up to R$ 290 billion (US$ 54.3b), in addition to the elimination of almost 400 thousand formal jobs.
There are five projects in progress in Congress, which make the activity legal. The most complete is 442/91, also known as the Regulatory Framework for Gaming, which is awaiting a vote by the plenary of the Chamber. The Tourism Commission intends to streamline the voting process by interceding with President Athur Lira.
“We need to build the foundations for the resumption of tourism in Brazil and the approval of the Regulatory Framework will be of fundamental importance. It defends not only the reopening of casinos, but the legality of all types of gaming, such as bingos, jogo do bicho, video slots and online gaming,” adds Vermelho.
The deputy cited a survey by the Legal Gaming Institute (IJL), according to which about 200 thousand Brazilians left the country to play in casinos around the world before the pandemic. "With this, Brazil exports players, consumption, dividends, jobs and foreign exchange that could remain here if the casinos were legalized," said Vermelho.
He recalls that casinos operate in neighboring countries such as Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. “Hypocrisy must be stopped. It no longer makes sense for Brazil to keep the ban, not least because a good part of the activity still exists in hiding,” he argues.
The deputy defends the installation of casinos next to luxury resorts and hotels that would make big investments to promote artistic and cultural shows, moving other sectors of the economy and bringing foreign currency to the country.
Losses and favorable moment for casinos legalization
"According to statistics, Brazil stops collecting between R$ 16 to R$ 18 billion (US$ 3 to US$ 3.4 billion) per year due to the lack of regulation of the activity," explains the deputy. For him, the production chain would also benefit, generating jobs for taxi drivers, van drivers, waiters, and hotel workers.
Attentive to political movements in Brasilia, Deputy Vermelho says that after the pension reform, the attention of the powers is directed to other segments, among them, the tax reform and the liberation of the gaming sector.
President Bolsonaro was not sympathetic to the movement for the legalization of the activity, but he can give the “green light” if casinos are integrated into luxury resorts and hotels that could earn billions in public coffers.
This casino/resort system already works successfully in the USA. “There are many entrepreneurs interested in investing in this field in Brazil. The time is ripe, and we need to make this proposal a reality,” concludes Vermelho.
Brazilian businessman invests abroad
Brazilian businessman Johnny Ortiz, founder and president of Zitro, one of the world leaders in the manufacture and development of slots, video bingo and interactive games, had to develop his activities outside the country, because gambling is prohibited in Brazil.
“It is absurd for me to have to leave my country to be successful abroad. Today we have 300 engineers in our European unit, which demonstrates our strength as a company that generates jobs. Zitro wants to bring its expertise to Brazil and offer thousands of jobs and high taxes,” he told Games Magazine Brasil.
The businessman says that Brazil receives around 6 million tourists a year and Andorra, a small country in Europe, where gaming is released, receives 12 million. According to IJL, the gaming market in the United States generates 1.7 million jobs/year and US$ 74 billion/year.
Of the UN signatory countries, 75.5% authorize bingo and / or casinos. Brazil, despite having an enviable tourist potential, keeps games in hiding.
Source: Jornal Tribuna Popular
