Lawyer José Mauro Marques, who is part of the Board of Directors of the Jockey Club of São Paulo, told Estadão that he will wait for the vote in the second round and the decision of Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) whether or not to sanction the proposal. If the project succeeds, the case will be taken to the Judiciary.
“The municipality does not have the power to legislate on the matter. Turf is federal competence. And, according to the project, the councilor is concerned about animal abuse. We don't have that concern, because the horses are well treated by veterinarians. If you compare the treatment that a citizen with few resources receives from the city council in relation to their health, the horses have much more protection, much more care than these people,” stated Marques.
The project foresees that establishments that operate betting races will close their activities within 180 days. The text imposes penalties such as a warning to regularize within 30 days, a fine of R$100 (US$ 20) multiplied by the capacity of patrons and the suspension of the operating license in case of repeated non-compliance.
In justifying the proposal, Xexéu Trípoli recalled that there is a federal law that also prohibits gambling.
“The practice of gambling is prohibited in the national territory, which already indicates a clear direction to prohibit the practice of betting, even on sporting results. However, there is (today) no prohibition on the operation of racing tracks with betting, which use animals, such as horse racing, which represents a paradox given that other practices involving animals are prohibited, such as cockfighting,” he stated.
The well-known Cidade Jardim hippodrome was inaugurated on São Paulo's birthday, January 25, 1941, after donating an area of 600 thousand meters. Currently, the Jockey Club is facing financial problems. In just one action to collect Urban Property and Territorial Tax (IPTU), São Paulo City Hall charges just over R$100 million (US$ 20m).
Source: Estadão
