The bill was approved in the House in February this year and since then was in the drawer of the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), which usually gives senators more time to analyze sensitive proposals voted by deputies.
The expectation is that, in the Senate, the text will be reported by the former president of the House David Alcolumbre (Union-AP), who currently commands the Constitution and Justice Commission(CCJ).
Senators assess that the vote later this year is a way to maintain a possible wear and tear on the subject circumscribed to the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Thus, the administration of the president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, would not have to deal with the controversy of voting for a text that was frowned upon by a portion of the population, especially evangelicals, and would still have the bonus of the potential increase in revenue.
Despite the intention to guide the bill later this year, a wing of senators advocates only voting on the text after the regulation of sports and electronic betting, seen as a step before the legalization of other gambling verticals.
Bill 442/91 provides permanent or temporary licenses for the exploitation of gambling in Brazil, including bingos, casinos, jogo do bicho and resorts with integrated casinos, as well as turf operation. The project was reported in the House of Representatives by Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE) after a wide study led by deputy Bacelar within the Working Group created by the Mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), to discuss a legal framework for gaming in Brazil.
If the project passes as is, each state will be allowed to have a casino, with the exception of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, which may have two, and São Paulo, with three. Because of their dimensions, Amazonas and Pará could have two casinos each.
The project also allows ship casinos, being one establishment per river, with extension between 1500 km and 2500 km; two with river extension between 2500 km and 3500 km; three, at most, when the river extends for more than 3500 km. The maximum is 10 units. These vessels may not be anchored in the same location for more than 30 consecutive days, and the concession may be for up to ten establishments.
The text encounters resistance in the evangelical wing of Congress, which points to facilitation in money laundering and increased gambling addictions. The opposition also stands against the approval of the matter and argues that casinos do not create jobs and will not be a major attraction for tourism, only lead to the concentration of income.
Source: Folha / GMB
