Legislation
Vote on Brazil’s gambling bill delayed once more
By James - 13 June 2024
The Brazilian Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) has postponed consideration of Bill 2,234/22. PL 2234/2022 would authorize the operation of casinos and bingo halls, and legalizes the “jogo do bicho” (an illegal street lottery) if approved.
According to the Senate News Agency the bill had been scheduled for discussion, and the rapporteur, Senator Irajá presented a supplementary report, accepting five drafting amendments. While some senators raised doubts about the new report and requested more time to study the changes with a request for review, other CCJ members, who had initially submitted a request to postpone the analysis, began to advocate for voting on the matter.
Amid the impasse, the president of the CCJ Senator Davi Alcolumbre stated that he did not want to address any ideological issues and decided to defer the matter for next week’s session after the hearings, with a commitment not to delay the discussion further.
Senators opposing the proposal argue that an expansion will not bring economic advantage to the country and will result in negative consequences, such as the encouragement of crimes like money laundering and tax evasion.
“The World Health Organization itself considers gambling addiction a growing serious disease that has devastated jobs, as people start to lose productivity; it has devastated families, as individuals start to lose loved ones who suffer the impacts of addiction. This generates crime,” stated Senator Eduardo Girão.
In their view, Brazil is not prepared for such authorization, whether due to the lack of control bodies to oversee casinos and bingos or due to the increase in crime and the emergence of new social problems.
“We do not want the approval of gambling in our country, we do not want the possibility of money laundering for drug trafficking, we do not want the possibility of tax evasion, we do not want the possibility of Brazilian society sinking even further into debt problems,” declared Senator Carlos Viana.
Senator Sérgio Moro noted that the issue raises many doubts, including concerns about advertising and lack of transparency. He cited the extensive promotion of online sports betting, as a negative example.
“I have major concerns regarding advertising. It seems to me that, regarding these bets that were approved, there is abusive advertising; I see it all the time on TV, during commercial breaks. And of course, every business has the right to advertise, but we have to be careful not to encourage excessive addiction. I would even like to see if this bill has any provisions regarding this issue.”
Senator Irajá praised the approach presented by the CCJ president and reported that 38 amendments have been submitted so far. He considered the new deadline crucial for analyzing the suggested changes and addressing the committee members’ doubts.
