Asked what is his opinion about gambling being taxed in the Tax Reform and in the Fiscal Framework, since advertisements for betting on football games appear on television and the internet constantly without being taxed, and asked if he is in favor of the legalization of gambling casinos in the country mainly in municipalities with a tendency towards tourism, Jayme Campos said he was favorable.
He said that he saw a simulation, that if gambling were to be taxed, which today is a contravention in Brazil, around R$ 50 billion (US$ 10b) would be collected, resources that would enter the public coffers, which could be used in health, education, public safety, among others.
Contrary to what common sense might imagine, the news was well received in the gaming sector, which for decades has been trying to legalize and expand the private betting market in the country. This is because the taxation will come together with the regulation of the activity, which will bring more legal certainty and business potential.
Campos assessed that he just can't stay as he is today, the game blatantly, and not paying anything, according to him, would be hypocritical. The senator defended that legalized gambling would even encourage tourism in certain regions of the country that depend, viscerally, many times on a new source, an activity.
“I don't know the calculation of how much is played in Brazil, but it must be a reasonable amount, like the sports lottery that legalized - and today distributes these resources to various sports activities and to a social fund,” assured the senator.
Campos reinforced that the sector needs to be legalized, otherwise it will continue underground, where many people will earn money, but will not pay anything to the Government.
The senator still believes that legalization can still generate jobs and tourism: “We have to legalize it. If it continues underground, there are people who earn money and pay no tax. Now we need to make an addendum here in the city of Las Vegas, located in Nevada, in the United States, where the casino is legal, the State collects and encourages tourism, generates jobs, income, generates income distribution. I already had the opportunity to go there three times."
Senator Campos also defended the taxation of online sports betting, which has experienced a growth boom in Brazil since 2018, when they were released to operate and started to sponsor almost all the main football teams, male and female.
The Ministry of Finance is working to start taxing the sports betting site sector, as announced last month.
Although a law at the end of 2018 allowed this business, market regulation has yet to be implemented. Without clear rules, companies have operated these sites from outside Brazil, free of local taxes.
The gambling market was banned in Brazil in 1946, under the government of Eurico Gaspar Dutra, on the grounds that it would be harmful to morals and good customs. Until then, casinos operated in Brazil and were popular entertainment venues, offering concerts and restaurants.
This did not, however, prevent the existence of illegal practices in the country, such as the jogo do bicho and slot machines, often controlled by violent criminal groups.
Source: GMB
