Despite the opportunism of the President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), in favoring a personal agenda, the approval by 246 votes to 202 of the bill that legalizes gambling, which has been banned since 30 April, 1946, was positive. Despite all the pressure from the evangelical bench and from President Jair Bolsonaro himself, who promised to veto the proposal, the parliamentarians had the merit of dealing with the issue in a rational way, without the moralistic and religious bias that usually permeates discussions on the subject.
The project establishes the Regulatory Framework for Gaming in Brazil and proposes to legalize casinos aimed at tourism, jogo do bicho, bingos, video bingos, online betting and horse racing. Under current legislation, gambling is classified as a criminal misdemeanor.
It must be recognized that, in seven decades of prohibition, gambling has never been banned in practice. Only on paper. Punters of the jogo do bicho receive open bets on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, sometimes in the vicinity of Military Police barracks and police stations. Online betting on sites hosted in other countries is commonplace. Slot machines never stopped working, lining the pockets of gangsters, as evidenced by numerous arrests made by the police. Everyone knows that the activity exists, but it is pretended that the law is obeyed, and that is all.
It is important to say that the State does not collect 1 cent. It is estimated that illegal gaming in Brazil move more than R$ 27 billion per year, exceeding the amount of legalized games by 60% (R$ 17.1 billion). Data presented at public hearings in the Chamber during the discussion of the project show that the country could collect R$ 22 billion a year in taxes and another R$ 7 billion in casino grants. The legalization of the sector, in addition to encouraging tourism, could generate 200,000 new jobs and formalize another 450,000. In the United States, where there are more than a thousand casinos – the destination of many Brazilians – the industry generates 1.7 million jobs.
The project approved in the Chamber creates a tax, the Cide-jogo, which will collect 17% of the gross revenue of entrepreneurs. The idea is that the resources collected are used in the areas of tourism, environment, culture, public safety and natural disasters.
It is preferable to legalize gambling and subject it to state control than to pretend that they do not exist. The Ministry of Economy has the instruments and competence to regulate the sector and keep it under surveillance. The project foresees the creation of a regulatory agency, linked to that ministry, which would have among its missions to curb money laundering, one of the sensible concerns of those who are against legalization.
It is expected that the debate in the Senate, where the project will follow, will take place on a rational basis, without giving in to the lobbies of the religious bench. Senators need to take into account that gaming is already there clandestinely. Many gain from it. The only loser is the state.
Source: Editorial - O Globo
