Several senators are pre-candidates for state governments. In addition, the Legislative House has also recently installed the ‘Parliamentary Front for a Brazil Without Gambling’. A new focus of pressure has emerged recently, however, after the passage of the bill that established a new national wage floor for nurses.
The relationship between the two projects lies in the fact that the proposal establishing the nurses' floor, which was approved, does not present sources of funds to cover this new floor. Party leaders in the Chamber of Deputies, then, began to articulate so that the tax collection that would come with the release of gambling would be destined to fund the new wage floor.
The gaming bill provides for the creation of a contribution —a kind of tax or ‘Cide’— levied on the marketing of games and betting. One of the options on the table for the nurses' floor is to increase from 4% to 12% the percentage of this Cide destined to finance programs and actions in public health.
The rapporteur of the proposal for gambling regulaiton in the Chamber, Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), met in recent weeks with the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), to discuss the matter. The federal deputy has told interlocutors that he is in no hurry for the proposal to be approved, even more so if there is a risk of it being rejected because of electoral pressure.
Therefore, he evaluated with Pacheco the possibility of taking advantage of this "window of opportunity", after the elections and before the end of the current legislature — thus avoiding possible resistance from a new parliamentary composition. The Senate president, in turn, has told interlocutors that he has not committed to the vote this year.
On another front, the rapporteur for the nurses' floor, deputy Carmen Zanotto (Citizenship-SC), also went after the president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), to try to unlock immediately the gambling project. There is an articulation of deputies and some senators so that the proposal is voted on until the parliamentary recess, in July.
One way to attract support in the Senate was to try to link the gambling proposal to another bill in the House, which allows for the construction of resorts with casinos. The author of the proposal, Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), could be appointed rapporteur of the bill that allows gambling.
Irajá defends his project, arguing that it will generate 200 thousand jobs and may attract R$ 44 billion in investments. "Brazil is not in a position to resort to new investments. Integrated resorts are a business model that generates billions of dollars in revenue for governments and companies around the world," he says.
The anticipation of the analysis of the issue of gambling, however, does not please the Senate leadership. Pacheco argues that he has other voting priorities this year, including controversial issues in which reaching an agreement is a challenge. The main one is the tax reform, which had been buried by obstruction of the largest groups a month ago, but received a new onslaught from the President of the Senate and his allies.
Alcolumbre himself avoided throwing a bucket of cold water on the proposal, but has the assessment that he could be one of those harmed by the advancement of the gaming issue. The senator from Amapá seeks his reelection, in a state where evangelicals, who are opposed to the issue, have strength.
Before being hospitalized with health problems, the senator participated in a session of the National Congress and was seen in an extremely friendly atmosphere with the president of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front, deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ). The two were broken because of the episode of André Mendonça's appointment to the STF (Federal Supreme Court) —Alcolumbre held the current minister's hearing for months.
The proposal that legalizes casinos, bingos and jogo do bicho had been in the works for three decades and was the target of attempts to obstruct by evangelical and Catholic groups.
The project was presented by deputy Renato Vianna (MDB-SC) in 1991 and was processed with some regularity until 1995, when it stalled. The theme was quickly resumed in 2008, but also without progress. In 2015, a special commission was created to debate the text. The collegiate produced a report, used by Carreras as a basis for making his opinion.
The text approved by the Chamber seeks to regulate casino games, bingo, jogo do bicho, turf [horse racing] and online gaming. The bill covers tourist casinos — hotels that could explore the activity, a proposal similar to that of the Senate — and stipulates the number of casino licenses in states.
One of the arguments used by the rapporteur in the Chamber during the conversation with Pacheco was the growth of online betting, which still lacks a more comprehensive regulation. This issue is also routinely raised by the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).
Source: Danielle Brant / Renato Machado - Folha de S.Paulo
