Legislation

Brazil – Brazil to hold public hearing on pros and cons of gambling

By Phil - 30 October 2019

A Commission has approved a request to hold a public hearing on the pros and cons of legalising gambling.

The Chamber’s Participatory Legislation Commission in the Chamber of Deputies agreed to a request put forward by Deputy Leonardo Monteiro (Workers Party) which calls for the “Public Hearing to discuss the regulation of games in Brazil: Pros and Cons.” In Brazil participatory councils, give civil society an official role in designing public policies and monitoring policy implementation and bring together representatives from civil society and the government.

Those who have been invited include the current mayor of Rio de Janeiro Marcelo Crivella who has in the past defended the building of a large casino in Rio in order to look for new ways to develop the Downtown Port Zone. Also invited is the coordinator of the Mixed Parliamentary Front for the approval of the regulatory framework for games in Brazil, Deputy Bacelar. Bacelar has long defended the approval of legislation that would legalize all types of gambling. The State Ministry of Economy has also been invited as have the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) both of which have come out in opposition to a legalisation of gambling in the past.

In his justification for the need for the hearing Monteiro said: “Congress has been discussing gaming regulation. We need consistent and reliable information to analyze the pros and cons, taking into account the possible impact and full knowledge of what are the best practices and appropriate measures to protect vulnerable people, mitigate risks to the economy, establish policies to combat money laundering and organized crime, and prevent and treat diseases. Gambling is legal in most of the world. Brazil is among the exceptions.”

The legislator pointed out that it was necessary to discuss the issue in-depth, in a responsible, objective and transparent way, allowing and encouraging the participation of the population.

There have been a number of developments of late in the Brazilian market. Two separate bills are up for consideration in Congress and sports betting is scheduled to go live in 2020. Last week it was revealed that the Brazilian instant lottery LOTEX will be split between two of the gaming industry’s biggest names; International Game Technology and Scientific Games.