Project of lotteries for culture and health is approved as a substitute in Brazil’s Senate

The project creates the Health Lottery and the Tourism Lottery, which will allocate their resources, respectively, to the National Health Fund (FNS) and to the Brazilian Agency for the International Promotion of Tourism (Embratur). Both the amounts collected from the sale of tickets and the prizes not claimed by the winners will have this destination. Both games will be operated by the Ministries of Health and Tourism, after regulation by the Ministry of Economy.

According to the rapporteur, the approved text is the result of a lot of dialogue with the government and the opposition and brings measures that can help to face the effects of the pandemic.

“It is a timely measure that can contribute to strengthening the budget to face the post-Covid period in two areas that will need large resources, health and tourism, the latter greatly affected by the pandemic,” explained Senator Weverton (PDT-MA).

In the case of the Health Lottery, the money should be used exclusively for actions to prevent and combat Covid-19, with priority for the purchase of supplies and vaccines. This rule is valid for the duration of the public health emergency due to the pandemic.

The resources of the Tourism Lottery should be applied by Embratur in measures to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the sector and, after the end of the pandemic, in credit operations for companies.

In the Chamber's original version, the Tourism Lottery would be temporary, offered only until the end of the year, and its resources would be earmarked for the General Tourism Fund (Fungetur). Weverton's substitute makes this lottery permanent and sends the money to Embratur.

The rapporteur also removed the lottery operation from Caixa Econômica Federal, transferring it to the ministries of each area. For him, this change can speed up the implementation, since Caixa is currently responsible for more than ten similar products.

Source: Senate Agency