In his Globo blog, the prestigious journalist Lauro Jardim states that “the Centrão, with Arthur Lira at the forefront, managed to approve the legalization of gaming. But, in the Senate, the project will stall by decision of Rodrigo Pacheco.”
For their part, colleagues from Estadao, Mariana Carneiro, Camila Turtelli, Matheus Lara and Gustavo Côrtes, also signed this morning (22) a brief piece of information entitled “Approved in the Chamber, a project that legalizes gaming could be buried in the Senate.”
According to them, “despite the pressure from defenders of the legalization of the gaming sector in Brazil, the project approved in the Chamber is on its way to being buried in the Senate.”
“In addition to the resistance of the evangelical bench, the president of the House, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), has no sympathy for the matter, according to what he told to allies,” assure journalists about the matter.
With this, it is already known that the bill that allows gaming in Brazil, recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies, should not be processed quickly in the Senate. Parliamentarians from different parties have adopted a cautious speech on the subject.
The signal was given by the president of the House, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), who in a recent statement said that "the proposal will follow the normal procedures of the House, always guided by a broad discussion, as it was in the Chamber."
In fact, the only official novelty that came from the Senate in these days was not very favorable to the progress of the project since House itself approved the creation of a Parliamentary Front against gaming. According to the approved text, the objective of the Front is “to promote debates and adopt initiatives that discourage gaming and combat its harmful consequences for society.”
What also repeats the picture of the Chamber is the fact that the proposal, in the Senate, does not divide opinions in the classic "opposition versus government" way. Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro do not have a consensus in defending the matter, as well as critics of the government do not close the issue on the subject either.
As a result, lawmakers claim that the bill "needs more discussion" – even though the initial bill was filed in Congress in 1991. This is the approach of the PSD leader in the Senate, Nelsinho Trad (MS). “The topic requires a broad and in-depth debate and we will dedicate ourselves to studying the project within the PSD,” he said.
The approach of "normal procedures" and "wider discussion" cited by Pacheco and reinforced by Trad indicates that the bill will go, in the Senate, to the usual line of proposals under consideration by senators. In other words, it will not receive special treatment, such as a direct vote by the plenary of the House. The Senate agenda is defined directly by the president, who assembles it after consulting party leaders. When an issue does not find consensus, the custom in Congress is to make it wait, even avoiding its rejection.
An example of this attitude was seen when the Senate paralyzed the process of the project that allowed the purchase of vaccines against Covid-19 by private companies. The initiative mobilized public debate at the beginning of last year, dividing sectors that defended the purchase, understanding that the action would relieve the public health network, and opposing sectors, who saw in the proposal the creation of a privileged line of immunization. After the project was approved by the House, it did not advance properly in the Senate, and has been without any processing since August.
The context of doubt surrounding the bill on gaming makes senators believe that it is unlikely that the process will be concluded in 2022. "I think it is very difficult. And I believe that if you vote this year, everyone will lose," stated Senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS).
The parliamentarian, who opposes the Bolsonaro government, said that the PT bench has not yet deliberated on the matter. In the Chamber session on the subject, all PT deputies voted against the project, with the exception of Paulo Pimenta (RS), who abstained.
Religious leaders were one of the main forces of resistance to the bill in the Chamber. They understand that the release of gaming can stimulate problems and an eventual increase in tax collection and the generation of jobs created with the regulation would not be enough to overcome the negative effects.
Source: GMB
