Senate and Chamber "fight" to see who rules first a Brazilian gaming law

As in the final of a poker tournament, where the emotion - demonstrated or disguised - and the bluffs can set the champion, the Senate and House of Brazil are in an unannounced battle to see who has the best bet and takes the prize. In this case, the point is to be the one that approved a gaming law in the country. The opening of the sector is very close, but it remains to know which project will avenge.

Two projects run in parallel and have different characteristics, but focus on the liberation of gaming in the country and now both are in the final stages, according to recent statements of the President of the Chamer, Deputy Rodrigo Maia (DEM), and the Senate, Eunício Oliveira (PMDB).

The Chamber is ready to vote and depends only on the President of the House to go to Plenary. Recently, when Rodrigo Maia assumed the Presidency of the Republic during President Michel Temer's trip abroad, he declared that he would put the project that regulates gaming in Brazil in a vote in November. However, he argues that the opening of resort casinos and not other modalities should be approved. This position is the same as that of the Las Vegas casino mega-entrepreneurs who have been in Brazil and signaled that they have billions of dollars to invest in the country, provided only the casinos are authorized. It is a very restrictive position for the sector, which intends to approve all types of gaming, such as bingos, sports betting, internet gambling, jogo do bicho, etc. Proponents of full openness urge the mayor not to direct deputies to close the doors to other gaming activities.

Yesterday, governors from 15 states were in Brasilia to pressure Rodrigo Maia to put the gaming law to vote as soon as possible, since they are keeping an eye on the revenue to finance public safety. In response to the governors, he promised again that by the end of the year the bill will be voted on. The pressure, now, will be so that he does not take to the agenda of the House a sliced project, only the one prefered by the mega entrepreneurs of Las Vegas.

That is, in the House, there is a problem to resolve, which is the conviction that the opening of all modalities will be more advantageous for the country, as it will allow the diversification of activities and greater revenue in different regions of the country, which has continental dimensions. As the Chamber of Deputies is an eminently political house, if there is not a complete understanding, nothing can be approved, making it easier to delay any type of vote. So much that proponents of approval of all gaming modalities have already signaled that it has enough strength to bar the vote if only the opening of casinos and not other activities are approved. They say the casino-only proposal is from a political group influenced by a small group of businessmen that is against a wide project, more beneficial for the country.

In the Senate, the situation is somewhat more favorable to the position of complete opening of the sector. When it went to vote, senators opposed to gaming requested and got that the project was analyzed by the Commission of Constitution and Justice. This only delayed the decision, since the trend is for the approval of the report of Senator Benedito de Lira (PP), which should be presented today in the Commission. The project foresees the opening of the entire sector and it is already expected a request for views so that everyone will have full knowledge of its content and then be scheduled for voting in 15 to 20 days.

Surprisingly, Senate President Eunicio Oliveira said yesterday that he will put two importante bills for the country to vote by the end of the year, and one of them is precisely the gaming law. The statement was made after the meeting that also had with the governors who were in Brasilia. He also declared that it is hypocritical not to put a bill in place to regulate what already exists, citing that even mobile gambling has been exploited without any tax counterpart. That was the best news the industry could expect, since the two proposals are now close to vote.

Hence the analogy to the final table of a poker tournament, since the house that votes first must send the project to the other, where it will receive the proposal appended as an amendment. It will be up to the House or the Senate, the one to vote first on its project, to make the final decision on the proposal for the approval of the law.

President Michel Temer, for his part, has already stated that he will not influence decisions, leaving the final decision on what the future gaming sector in Brazil will be in the hands of the Legislature. According to close interlocutors of the maximum leader of Brazil, whatever the decision taken in the Congress, he will respect and sanction the law. Although he does not make a clear statement, it is clear that he prefers something ample, that generates more jobs, more income and, of course, more taxes to meet the demand for resources so scarce in the country.

Source: GMB