Legislation
Brazil – Pro-gambling reform senator to guide sports betting bill through the senate
By James - 10 October 2023
Long time supporter of gambling reform Senator Angelo Coronel has been appointed as the rapporteur for Brazil’s sports betting bill in the senate. Now that Bill 3626/23 has passed in the lower house it now heads to the senate where it will head to committee stage. The bill will be processed within a fixed period of 45 days. It will be assessed simultaneously by the Sports Committee (CEsp) and the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE) and then by the Senate plenary.
The senator has put forward a number of bills and proposals over the years that would end Brazil’s gambling ban. During the pandemic he pushed for reform saying that legalising gambling with adequate supervision could contribute to the creation of jobs and boost tourism and regional development. He also put forward his own bill PL 2,648 / 2019, which would have allowed casinos in both integrated resorts and outside them.
In August this year he put forward a number of amendments to Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s sports betting provisional measure. Senator Coronel said that he wanted the bill to encompass not just sports betting but bingo halls, the animal game, and casinos as well. Specifically, according to Amendment 223/2023 the senator proposed the repeal of provisions related to gambling as enshrined in the Criminal Contravention Act which dates to 1941.
Last month Brazil’s lower house approved sports betting bill PL 3626/2023. The approved bill covers both sports betting and online casinos. The tax rate will stand at 18 per cent GGR tax on the net revenue of online betting companies.
