A new research from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation for the Brazilian Ministry of
Tourism encourages the hotel and entertainment market in Brazil. The intention of
Brazilians to travel in the next six months grew from 19% to almost 23%,
compared to the same period last year, and reaches all income brackets. The national
destinations are the target of 80% of likely travelers, reinforcing our belief
that Brazil's tourism capacity can face the economic difficulties we are
experiencing. The same study estimates that US$ 3.1 billion should be spent on
these trips, generating resources to be reinvested in the economy, mainly
through the commerce and services sectors.
The attention to tourism in the times of economic adversities is not new in
Brazil. At the beginning of the decade, Europe observed important movement
after the peak of the crisis faced by the continent, even because tourism also
has weight in the economy of several countries. In France, the most visited
country in the world, the activity represents about 7% of GDP, according to the
World Tourism Organization. It is the same that generates the local automovile
industry, for example. In Portugal, tourism is at 11% of GDP and, in Greece,
16%. The government of this country, even said that it was betting on the
activity to try to get the country out of the recession.
But there is a very significant difference between Brazil and European
countries. In the "Old Continent”, gaming is legal and several hotel chains
invest in the casino-entertainment model to offer more options to their
visitors. In fact, of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN), only 37
prohibit gambling. Brazil is in the same group as the Islamic countries, which prohibit
the activity due to religious issues.
To repeat Greece as an example - one of the countries most affected by the
economic crisis in Europe -, in 2009 they decided to lift the ban on slot
machines and created specific legislation for various betting models. Now the
expectation of the local government is to increase GDP by 10% over the next ten
years, because of these initiatives.
Brazil seems to move in the same promising future. The meetings of the Special
Commission of the Regulatory Framework of Gaming in Brazil, in the Chamber of
Deputies, listening to various experts on the subject, will allow the creation
of a very well structured framework to support the decision of the House
plenary for the legalization of gaming. Bill 442/1991 is even more elaborate
than PLS 186/2014 regulating gambling in the Senate, in our opinion. The
Project in the Chamber was more detailed
in relation to the attributions of all federative entities regarding the
granting, control, and allocation of resources for safety, health and various
areas of the economy. These resources are estimated to generate close to US$ 9.65
billion for Brazilian public coffers. Money that, today, is hiding the
illegality because current prohibitive legislation don´t prevent gaming from
moving US$ 5.75 billion a year in Brazil, according to several surveys
presented at the National Congress.
While worldwide tourism and gaming are directly linked, the relationship
between lottery and social is something that can not be unnoticed. That is why
we, state lotteries, are very expectant regarding the regulation of gaming in
Brazil, so that new resources enter the country through the various modalities
that should be allowed and thus, we can strengthen our investments in the
various projects that today onlysSurvive thanks to this linkage. Here, in Rio
de Janeiro, 70% of Loterj's profit is fully invested in associations that guarantee
a more dignified life for children, the elderly, the disabled.
For this, the agenda needs to be unlocked. Since the end of last year, the Emergency
request for Bill 442/91 has been postponed. We hope that this scenario changes
after the carnival and the country can take the next step.
