GMB - What is your assessment of the Online Game Summit and its importance at this time when the legalization of sports betting was approved in Brazil?
Dep. Evandro Roman - Firstly, I think Brazil took the first step in advancing the regularization of gaming. A debate like this is important because all the actors here are people who are aware of the real situations that are being discussed today within the parliament and what has to be done to move forward. Discussions in an event like this, organized, with all the actors that participate in the sector, gives us greater security in the parliament so we can work knowing the organization that the gaming industry currently has in Brazil.
One of your strongest statements during the OGS was that gaming was "irresponsibly demonized." Why do you think the industry still bears this brand and what can be done to overthrow it?
It is often easier to transfer to an action the defect that is of men himself. The limit is responsibility of the human being; from carrying a firearm, feeding and not becoming an obese adult, compulsion for alcohol and cigarettes; and gaming is more of a situation like this. You can well manage a balance to play and have some entertainment. Many times I say that the fool is the one that only considers gaming in a wide resrot that offers many entertainment options for a family. But it was imposed the idea, by some fundamentalist followings religions reasons, that the activity was something evil, which was not "legal", and this is not true. So, Brazil needs to break some of these bad concepts of an ancient culture, demystify and really show how much it can bring benefits to the Brazilian people, especially with the tax issue.
During your OGS panel, you also went so far as to declare that gaming has veiled support from fundamentalist deputies with religious backgrounds who can not explain this support to their audience. Can you tell us more about this situation?
The vast majority of the bench that has a religious fundamentalism, mainly based on Christianity, Catholics, like me, and evangelicals, they know the importance of the activity and how much benefits it will bring with resources applied in health, education, sports, culture. But they have a difficulty on explaining to its audience that this is no longer that satanized game as it has been told for a long time. So the majority understands the importance and knows how much it will benefit Brazilian people. I think that from the moment we build something that generates a favorable speech, especially in the matter of taking part of these resources to help people with some kind of disease or addiction, then you can be sure that this will change their opinions a lot.
There was a great renewal among deputies and senators after recent elections in the National Congress. What is your perspective on the debate of gaming during the legislature period that begins in 2019?
I would say that at the present time it would be difficult to regulate urban casinos or casinos at resorts because there is a blockage in that regard. What comes now we do not know. The Chamber renewed by 61%, the Senate, within these two-thirds, renewed by 85%. Now we know that significantly increased, around 3.5% the evangelical bench, practically 100% the one that supports the use of fire arms, many doctors and youtubers. So we have to wait in order to better understand the profile of each new sector from February or March, to know this new scenario with the new deputies and senators that are assuming their positions.
Do you think that in the first six months of the new legislature period we will already have these profiles designed?
Surely, in the first six months people already identify themselves. Just introducing a topic in plenary and committees and you already how everyone move. By wlaking the Congress halls you feel the temperature and it is very clear how all feel, even because the renovation was very impotant.
What is your assessment of the work done by the Pro-Gaming Parliamentary Front and what projection can we make for it in this scenario of renovation in the House?
The Parliamentary Front is led by Deputy Cesar Halun, very active, present and really has the desire to move forward. I just disagree with a situation that has to be approved all or nothing and I believe we have to fragment. As we now approve sports betting, we will move forward to other approvals also according to the movement of the own society and the interest of Brazil. So I would say that we have to rethink in the sense of fragmenting the approvals, because if it is a situation of all or nothing, we will probably be left with nothing.
Source: Exclusivo GMB
