The bill from the Chamber that authorizes the operation of casinos, bingo and jogo do bicho in Brazil (Bill 2.234/2022) was approved by the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) on June 19. It then received 11 amendments, which need the Committee's opinion before voting by the Senate Plenary. The text also allows betting on horse races.
The topic is controversial. Supporters of the bill argue that, in countries where casinos have been regulated, there have been social and economic benefits. According to the rapporteur, Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), approval of the text could result in investments of R$100 billion (US$ 17.7bn), generating around 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs.
According to the senator, the potential annual revenue could reach R$22 billion (US$ 3.9bn), divided between states, municipalities and the federal government.
Members of Congress who are against the bill, in turn, warn of the risk of encouraging gambling and crimes such as money laundering, trafficking and prostitution. The vote on the bill was postponed several times in the Committee due to lack of consensus.
Rules
The bill creates specific rules for different types of games and imposes limits on commercial establishments that can offer casinos, bingo and animal games. For example, there will be a limit of one casino in each state and in the Federal District, with the exception of São Paulo, which may have up to three casinos, and Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas and Pará, which may have up to two each, depending on the size of their population or territory.
Bingo halls are limited to one per municipality, but larger cities may have one establishment for every 150,000 inhabitants. The operation of animal games may be carried out, in each state and in the Federal District, by one legal entity for every 700,000 inhabitants. Bets on horse races may be operated by tourism entities accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The regulation includes the creation of two new taxes: the Gaming and Betting Inspection Fee (Tafija) and the Economic Domain Intervention Contribution levied on the sale of gaming and betting (Cide-Jogos).
Of the amount collected, 16% will go to the State Participation Fund, 16% to the Municipal Participation Fund (FPM), 12% to the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), 10% to actions in the sports area and 10% to the National Culture Fund. The remainder will be used in various areas, including actions to prevent gambling addiction.
Source: Agência Senado
