Sérgio Jardim, general director of Clarion, welcomed and thanked everyone for their presence and stressed that the previous editions of the congress consolidated the presence of the company in Brazil and in this fourth congress, it is encouraged by the proximity of the approval of legislation for the sector.
Journalist Ana Maria Tahan, moderator of the panel, welcomed the participants and stressed that Brazil is in a difficult political moment, in which almost everything has stopped. But "I think it is absurd that Brazil has not yet defined legislation for the activity of gaming, which we will discuss exhaustively at this congress."
To compose the work table, Ana Maria invited federal representatives Augusto Coutinho, Elmar Nacimento and Herculano Passos, as well as Régis de Oliveira, a former federal deputy who has worked for years for the approval of legislation for the sector, and the former judge José Augusto Araújo Neto.
Augusto Coutinho said that the bill of the Chamber of Deputies is ready to be voted on and that its immediate approval would be very important, since it will increase tourism in the country, which he highlights as "very timid." Coutinho presented some basic differences between the House and Senate projects, noting that at some point in the near future the two projects will eventually merge into a single final proposal.
"I am very supportive of the regulation of all games as a way of generating jobs, taxes and attracting tourists. We need serious legislation to ensure investor security and economic development for all regions." He also said that there are divergent figures on the collection, "but some researchs point to a total collection of US$ 23.9 billion with legalization, while today the clandestine activity currently moves something around US$ 6 billion, which is absurd for a country that needs to increase Tte collection of taxes without the creation of new ones."
For Coutinho, it is an absurd excuse to say that the government has no capacity to oversee. "Yes, and if you do not have it, hire a consultant or a supervisory company, because what you can not do is not fail to raise a huge amount of resources to be invested in education and health. I can not understand that someone still thinks that gamingis not good to Brazil, and this agenda must be overcome. "
Deputy Elmar Nascimento said that for more than six months a substitute has been approved that encompassed projects and this has so far been stopped. "We can not forget that today we have more than 1 million people working in the clandestine framework, without any social security. So we have to move forward with the gaming regulation project to bring this great contingent to legality and to increase the collection without the creation or increase of taxes already existing." According to him, even the Tourism Minister is encouraged by the passage of a law for the sector, as he anxiously awaits tools to attract investment and, consequently, tourists to the country. "We are sorry that the process is delayed due to the serious political crisis in Brazil, but we are hopeful that the approval of the ongoing reforms will happen as soon as possible so that the House and Senate projects can be consolidated in a single one.”
Herculano Passos is a deputy who has raised the flag of approval of the gaming activity as one of the most appropriate ways to increase tourism in Brazil. "Legalization is important to strengthen domestic tourism and especially the coming of more and more tourists to know our natural beauty and enjoy the offer of integrated establishments of casinos, shopping malls, showrooms and other related activities." According to him, there is still a part of the deputies who are opposed, especially the evangelical group, "but today they are a minority and they should not have enough strength to prevent the project from advancing, since it is a yearning for the country the modernity and economic development that the activity will provide."
The former deputy Régis de Oliveira recalls that he has been an enthusiast of the activity for years, when he realized the importance of the sector for the economy. "Both lotteries and other games should be seen as a business activity, we have to face this reality and stop thinking that we do not have the capacity to control the activity. We can not accept the argument that the sector is conducive to money laundering, because a well-regulated industry will be exempt from it. Today, large international companies, with strict rules of compliance, want to enter the Brazilian market and would not invest in a bad regulated sector."
Former judge José Augusto Araújo Neto highlighted in his presentation the issue of the right to legalize gaming. "I have heard as a unanimous opinion that the sector should be well supervised and with rigid legislation. If we want legislation, we must also be alert to the criminal issue. It is fundamental that we remember that clandestine gambling should be punished, especially in what illegal gambling causes, such as crimes in the dispute for points of game, police corruption etc. According to Araújo Neto, "we should follow examples of success abroad, with the creation of a serious inspection body with technical skills to understand the industry. We need to have a compliance department for the sector to be an example of transparency and seriousness. Gaming can be lawful, conscientious, serious and fair with respect to the law and with the economic development that the activity will bring."
Ana Maria Tahan said that it is necessary to clearly define who will monitor the activity, as this is important for public opinion to understand and support the activity. "There are still many challenges, but the two projects are modern, just showing society how much the sector can be beneficial to the country," she concluded.
Source: GMB Exclusive
