Brazil’s land-based expansion bill could generate R$ 20 billion for the government
Senator Irajá the rapporteur of Brazil’s land-based gambling bill PL 2,234/2022 has told press that that if the bill is approved revenue from gambling activities could reach R$ 20 billion. This amount refers to taxes on financial transactions from casinos, bingos, illegal betting (jogo do bicho), and horse racing, as outlined in the Gambling Bill.
Talking to news outlet ND Mais Irajá stated: “This is a resource that Brazil cannot forgo. The Brazilian people cannot afford to let this activity operate illegally and clandestinely without deriving any benefits from it.”
Irajá exemplified the social benefit of the land-based expansion bill: “If we convert this into clinics, it would mean over 10,000 clinics built every year, almost two clinics per city in the country. As for affordable housing, let’s not even talk about it—over 200,000 affordable homes.”
In addition to revenue generation, the land-based expansion bill anticipates that market regulation will attract R$ 100 billion in investments and create over 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs.
The senator believes that the economic argument may convince undecided lawmakers. He anticipates that the project could be voted on before the July recess.
In discussing the regulatory framework for gambling in Brazil, Senator Irajá also emphasized the stringent measures that would be implemented to ensure controlled and legitimate practices within the industry, stating, “With these previously defined criteria, we are not allowing the possibility of opening bingos, illegal betting, and casinos all over Brazil. These are federal licenses and authorizations, including onerous grants, which companies must pay to exploit these activities.”
Irajá also said there was a need to recognize the existence of illegal gambling in the country and to confront it with regulation stating: “We know there are bingo halls operating throughout Brazil, there are ‘jogo do bicho’ operations, and clandestine casinos are also functioning, and the government as well as the public do not benefit from it. No taxes are collected, and nothing is redirected back to benefit Brazilian society. Therefore, we would bring light to an activity that currently operates in the shadows.”
