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Brazil – Casino bill passes to committee stage in senate

By - 15 May 2023

The President of the Senate Rodrigo Pacheco has sent a draft Law No. 2234/2022 which aims to allow for large scale casinos to the Senate’s Constitution Justice and Citizenship Committee for discussion.

PL 442/91, was passed in the lower house and is now in the senate under the name draft Law No. 2234/2022. The text  replaces as many as 20 other gambling related projects all of which have been discussed over many years.

The Commission is chaired by Senator Davi Alcolumbre, who must designate a rapporteur for the proposal. It will then go to the plenary for a vote.  

If approved it will allow for a much wider expansion of the market as it will allow casino riverboats and bingo halls with electronic bingo machines on site as well.

According to the text, casinos may be installed in resorts as part of an integrated leisure complex. There may be three casinos when the state’s population is greater than 25 million. For states with more than 15 million and up to 25 million inhabitants, there may be two casinos. In other states and in the Federal District, with a population of up to 15 million inhabitants, there may be only one casino. Additionally, the Executive Branch may grant the operation of up to two establishments in leisure complexes in states measuring more than 1 million square km in size. In locations classified as tourist centres or destinations, the installation of a casino will be allowed, regardless of the population density of the state in which they are located.

The law also permits municipalities and the Federal District to license bingo halls. Bingo halls will also be allowed in stadiums with a capacity of over 15 thousand fans. Online gambling will also be permitted although the bill covers online gambling in very general terms.

In August 2022 the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, criticised senators for not addressing the bill sooner. In April this year Pacheco said that the bill would be debated further in the senate. Speaking to BBC Brazil the senator argued that the industry was a good way to raise “sustainable revenue” for the government.   

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