The proposal is seen as controversial in the Senate. Behind the scenes, President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) showed resistance to the way in which it was approved in the Chamber. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), the President's son, advocates legalization, but does not publicly defend it. In 2020, he went to the USA on a trip to study and deal with the subject.
The rapporteur of the project in the Chamber, Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), said he had talked with the president of the Senate about the proposal 15 days ago. According to him, Pacheco promised not to shelve the project.
"I was happy with that. Even Saudi Arabia authorized gaming, about a month ago. We see the online betting market growing in Brazil and the country is lagging behind," said Carreras.
In February, pressured by the evangelical bench, President Jair Bolsonaro said he would veto the legalization of gaming if it passed the Senate and regretted the approval of the text by the Chamber. Government officials, however, worked in favor of the project in the Chamber, as did the Centrão. There is a division on the matter in Bolsonaro's support base.
The government leader in the Chamber, Ricardo Barros (PP-PR), admits that the project could be a source of revenue.
"We thought about approving the project, to regularize the gaming sector, which are already there, and legalize the situation of the 400 thousand employees who are working without social rights," said Barros in the Chamber's tribune, in May, during the discussion about a salary floor for the nursing category.
"The project already allocates 4% of the resources obtained to health, but this amount needs to reach 12% in the Senate to contribute to the financing of the increase in nursing," he added.
Other gaming proposals are also stuck in the Senate. The project by Senator Roberto Rocha (PSDB-MA) that legalizes the activity in resorts has been stalled at the Regional Development and Tourism Commission, awaiting a public hearing for over a year.
There is also a project releasing all gaming verticals, including the jogo do bicho, bingo and online betting, ready for consideration in plenary since 2020. The text is by Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), now Minister of the Civil House.
The text approved in February in the Chamber grants permanent or temporary licenses to explore the activity. Each economic group would have the right to operate one casino per state, with the exception of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, which would have the right to two, two and three establishments, respectively.
In a note, Rodrigo Pacheco said he committed to a “detailed assessment” of the project, but avoided taking a stand on the merits. “For now, there are opposing and favorable manifestations in the Senate. Thus, it is essential to know it in detail and, eventually, move the discussion forward,” says the president of the Senate.
Senator Ângelo Coronel (PSD-BA), one of the defenders of legalization, recognizes that the proposal coming from the Chamber is stalled. He says that the matter has become a “Fla-Flu” (Brazilian football derby Flamengo - Flumnense) and estimates that the federal government loses R$ 50 billion a year in revenue from the ban on gaming.
"I don't know how a government can be against the collection of something that already exists. Many are afraid of the reaction of the evangelical sector," says Coronel.
Senator Eduardo Girão (Podemos-CE) leads the resistance against the bill, and in April created a Front Against Gambling in the Senate. Senators such as Luiz do Carmo (MDB-GO) and Carlos Viana (PL-MG) have also taken a contrary position.
The project creates a tax, the Cide-jogo, to collect 17% of the entrepreneurs' gross income. The funds will be allocated to areas such as tourism, environment, culture, public safety and natural disasters. The incidence of Income Tax on award-winning individuals will be 20% of the net gain.
Points of the project approved by the Chamber
Gaming release
The text regulates the activities of sports betting, casinos, bingo and jogo do bicho. Tourist areas would be privileged. Each economic group would only be entitled to operate one casino per state.
Collection and taxes
Defenders of the measure point out that the country fails to raise up to R$ 50 billion annually with the ban. The project creates a tax of 17% of the gross revenue to be collected from entrepreneurs who explore the activities. Prize winners would pay 20% in income tax.
Source: Natália Portinari — O Globo
