"Gaming legalization could generate jobs and increase revenue"

Arlindo Pereira Figueiredo Junior argued that the legalization of gaming in Brazil could contribute to generate jobs and increase revenue, and said that Brazil cannot close its eyes to a market that has existed illegally for years and, if legalized, could provide resources for the State.

"There is an investment forecast of around R $ 700 billion, including casinos, bingos and other forms of gaming. We can use this money for the benefit of health and public safety," said Figueiredo Júnior, who participated in the General Commission that discussed in the Plenary of the House of Representatives the proposal for a new regulatory framework for gaming in Brazil (PL 442/91).

"Instead of public security agents dealing with the monitoring of the more than one million slot machines operating illegally, they could be focused on issues related to crime fighting," he added.

Also favoring the legalization of gaming in the country, lawyer Witoldo Hendrich Júnior cited the example of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, where, according to him, an online gaming regulatory agency plays a key role.

"Online gambling is the only industry able to control and prevent gambling addiction," said Hendrich Júnior, noting the regulator's role in securing the online gaming operation in most European countries.

"We cannot currently prevent a person from spending his last Real on the Mega-Sena. Instead, Malta's gaming authorities make this last bet impossible because there is no way to play online without being properly identified with his gambler's account, "he said, acknowledging that he would hate to see a relative of his gambling addict.

Source: GMB / Agência Câmara News