With the suspension of the pass-through of Caixa Econômica Federal to maintain the infrastructure of Porto Maravilha, Mayor Marcelo Crivella has been defending the construction of a tourist complex with resort and casino as an exit to resume development in the region. At meetings this year in Rio, Crivella talked to American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who chairs the Las Vegas Sands group, one of the largest in the world.
Adelson has an interest in investing in Brazil, according to articles published by local newspaper "Valor Econômico" and columnist Elio Gaspari at GLOBO. The idea of the mayor takes place amid the discussions in the National Congress about a project to legalize gambling.
"I am against vice, but against misery, unemployment, and the stagnation of the economy. Congress will decide. It's not opening gaming around the corner, not with slot machines and bingos everywhere. We are talking about a single casino in Rio that attracts millions of tourists," the mayor reiterated on Monday.
The proposal defended by Crivella is very restrictive: it would license a maximum of four resorts in the country along the lines of Marina Bay Sands, a luxury hotel and leisure complex, which Adelson's group has in Singapore. There, the casino has 600 gaming tables and more than 2,500 slot machines, spread over four floors. In Brazil, gambling has been banned since 1946. The mayor recognizes that for the American to obtain a license, he would have to win a public competition, in addition to the law being changed.
But the main discussions on the subject in Congress today are different. The two earlier projects that deal with legalization provide that, in addition to casinos, bingo games and jogo are also be legalized.
Support in the Chamber
In the Chamber, the bill reported by Congressman Guilherme Mussi (PP-SP), in process for 27 years, is ready to go to plenary. The text allows the installation of one to three casinos per state, according to the number of inhabitants. In Rio, two licenses could be granted. The Senate Constitution and Justice Commission, however, gave an opinion contrary to the text, which does not prevent the plenary from discussing the proposal.
The release of casinos at resorts came as part of an amendment to the new tourism bill passed in August. This legislation opened the possibility for foreign companies to have up to 100% of the capital of Brazilian airlines. But the release of the casinos did not pass. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, there is no consensus on the ideal proposal. The president of the Chamber, Rodrigo Maia (DEM), argues thatgaming should be legalized only in resorts. Federal deputy Pedro Paulo (DEM), in turn, is in favor of regulation of all modalities.
"Anyway, the mayor's statement is positive. Today, the evangelical group is among the main opposition to the legalization of the activity,” said Pedro Paulo.
The president of the Brazilian Legal Gaming Institute, Magno de Souza, also advocates unrestricted legalization. He is against the proposal that only casinos in large hotels should be authorized. According to studies by the entity, the release of gaming could generate a gross revenue of US$15.5 billion per year in the country, of which US$4.6 billion would be paid in taxes.
The president of the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association (ABIH-RJ), Alfredo Lopes, is in favor of legalizing only casinos, but without the need to be in hotel complexes. For Lopes, the market in Rio does not have place to open more rooms:
“The legalization of gaming must adapt to the reality of each state.”
According to sources, two areas would be on Sheldon Adelson's radar: the Port Region and the Barra Olympic Park. Asked by e-mail, the group did not express itself. The president of the Porto Urban Development Company (Cdurp), Antonio Carlos Mendes Barbosa, said that there are large open spaces in the area that could house such a resort. As an example, he cites the grounds of the former Gasometer, on Avenida Pedro II, and the old asphalt factory of the city hall, on Francisco Bicalho Avenue. In these sections, the legislation authorizes the construction of buildings of up to 50 floors.
Source: GMB
