Municipal government pre-empts approval of land-based gambling bill in Brazil
The city hall of Olimpia, a municipality in São Paulo’s interior, has officially introduced a bill that classifies the operation of gambling games as “public services of relevant tourist and social interest,” especially when conducted in integrated casinos linked to high-end resorts. The legislation was signed by Mayor Eugenio Zuliani and was published in the municipal official gazette on May 14.
This means that the municipal administration has taken the initiative to regulate gambling before the approval of the land- based expansion bill PL 2234/2022.
The new legislation in Olimpia connects the operation of gambling games to the city’s tourism sector, which attracts approximately 5 million visitors annually. According to the municipal administration, there are 35 thousand hotel beds in the city.
The new law stipulates that services associated with gambling operations encompass: the setup and management of casinos integrated with tourism projects, the operation of regulated games like roulette, card games, electronic games, and others, as well as supplementary services focused on recreation, dining, hospitality, culture, and entertainment. Furthermore, the legislation permits the privatization of these services through a competitive bidding process.
However, there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding Brazil’s wider expansion bill. While there is increasing speculation that Brazil could debate it in the first half of this year the evangelical caucus has stated that it will oppose the bill. As reported by Brazilian press the bill’s rapporteur, Senator Irajá is working to ensure that the vote occurs soon, relying on the support of the chamber’s president, Davi Alcolumbre. However Carlos Viana president of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front in the Senate told Coluna do Estadão: “We will try to stop it by all means.”
In June the Constitution and Justice Committee (CJ) approved, PL 2234/2022. According to the text of the bill, casinos in Brazil may be installed in resorts as part of an integrated leisure complex that must contain at least 100 high-end hotel rooms, meeting and event venues, restaurants, bars and shopping centres.
