Veneziano Vital do Rêgo is a lawyer, affiliated with the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB). He has already been a councilor and mayor of Campina Grande for two consecutive terms, federal deputy for Paraíba and is currently senator for Paraíba.
The appointment of a rapporteur by the president of the Senate suggests an advance and an advantage of this project over others that also seek to legalize gambling in Brazil and are also waiting in Congress. Although almost all the other proposals try to give a legal framework to all gaming modalities and not only to casinos in resorts.
According to Senator Irajá's project, integrated resorts are defined as "tourism complexes with casino operations that combine hotel facilities, convention centers, spaces for fairs, exhibitions, corporate events, congresses and seminars, incentive meetings, centers ecumenical, in addition to different entertainment and convenience options offered to the visitor, such as restaurants, bars, spas, shopping centers, art galleries, museums, theaters, golf courses, theme parks, water parks and other options."
Last year, Irajá informed Economy Minister Paulo Guedes that the arrival of integrated resorts, as proposed in his bill, has the potential to attract R$ 44 billion, with R$ 18 billion in taxes per year, R$ 5 billion with the grants (concessions) that will allow the construction of 70 thousand popular houses, can generate 161,000 jobs and double the number of foreign tourists in five years from 6 million (today) to 12 million.
According to the proposal (Bill 4.495/2020), resorts integrated with casinos will be authorized through public concessions with a term of 35 years, observing the maximum limit of one resort per state and in the Federal District. In its text, the physical space occupied by the casino will be limited to 10% of the total area of the integrated resort.
For the president of the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur) and current Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto, Brazil can triple the number of tourists if some measures are put in place to leverage its tourism potential, with casinos playing an important role in this growth. The senator would already have support from the Bolsonaro family to move forward with this project.
“We now have to create the legal framework for the installation of these projects in Brazil. We cannot wait for the reopening of world tourism to think of new attractions for foreign tourists. The time is now!”, said the senator.
Brazil lived a golden period of casinos between the years 1934 and 1946, during the then presidente Vargas era. There were more than 70 establishments spread across the country, with emphasis on Rio de Janeiro, which had some of the main casinos in Brazil, including Cassino da Urca, Casino Atlântico, and Copacabana Palace.
However, in 1946, President Eurico Gaspar Dutra decreed the ban on casinos and gambling in Brazil, with the closing of active establishments. Since then, the installation of gaming venues is not allowed in the country, but the tendency is for them to return very soon, judging by the enthusiasm of the tourist sector in the implementation of integrated resorts.
Source: GMB
