According to historian Milton Teixeira, the game became a misdemeanor shortly after it became popular. “Already in the early years of the Republic, betting became a misdemeanor because the Republic had that idea that the worker should only earn money for his work and not for games of chance,” he says.
The official ban on gambling in Brazil came in 1941, but the Jogo do Bicho continued illicitly, opening up space for disputes in parallel power. Carol Grillo, sociologist and specialist in public safety, says that there are disputes over sales territories. “They end up using violent score settlements, or violent disputes, this contributes to the increase in the homicide rate,” she points out.
In 1993, in a historic trial, Judge Denise Frossard sentenced 14 famous bookies to prison, but after appeals and court maneuvers, they were all released. Since then, the dispute over the assets of Jogo do Bicho has resulted in deaths and arrests. Currently, the misdemeanor corruption web includes public agents and militiamen.
There is no way to know exactly how much this group moves per month or per year. To get an idea, the latest investigation by the Civil Police points out that only Bernardo Bello, who is said to bes the current head of contravention in Rio, would make a profit of R$ 200,000 (US$ 38,000) per day with 10 slot machines and 10,000 Jogo do Bicho points in the central region and south zone of Rio.
The last prisoner related to the misdemeanor of Jogo do Bicho was Capitão Guimarães, accused of murder and for his relationship with the betting game. He, according to the Federal Police, is part of the gang that would have killed Fábio Aguiar Sardinha, in July 2020.
Source: Jornal da Band
