The legalization of gambling in Brazil has been debated for many years in the National Congress. It has been close to being approved, but has not progressed. In 2015, faced with the financial crisis that the country faced, the Federal Government considered allowing games in the country, and some proposals that were still pending were processed again in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies.
As president of the Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism, I defend the opening of a casino in Brazil, working in integrated leisure complexes. In fact, this is what the two legalization projects of the games that are processed in the National Congress predict. According to both proposals, these complexes would work in addition to the gaming houses, luxury resorts, shopping malls, arenas for shows and sports, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, recreation areas, etc., in line with what is happening today in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore, for example.
In the Senate of the Republic, PLS 186 of 2014, which deals with the legalization of games of chance, had a negative opinion, in the Special Commission that analyzed it. Now, it is ready to be voted in Plenary, but by the end of last year, the approval forecast was not good. Let's see what the scenario will look like in this new legislature.
In the Federal Chamber, PL 442 of 1991 and its members was approved by the Special Commission of the Regulatory Framework of the Games in Brazil, of which I was a member. This project is very similar to that of the Senate, but it is more complete, stipulating, for example, the area that casinos should occupy within these integrated leisure complexes. Here, the possibility of approval of the project seems better than in the Senate and there is also a positive sign on the part of the new Tourism Minister, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, indicating that the government should be favorable to opening the casinos in Brazil.
Both proposals provide for a limited number of casinos per state. The distribution would be as follows:
• More than 25 million people (Sao Paulo) - up to 03 casinos;
• Between 15 million and 25 million inhabitants (Minas Gerais, Rio and Bahia) - up to 02 casinos; and
• Up to 15 million inhabitants (remaining states) - up to 1 casino.
The concessions would be of 30 years and will be taken into account the existence of resources and tourist attractions to be fomented.
Both the House and Senate proposals contemplate the legalization of games in general: online gambling, gambling, slot machines, among others. But my defense, I repeat, is for the opening of casinos in integrated leisure complexes, as they have a great capacity for attracting tourists, generating employment, income and collecting to the country.
There are about two million players who travel the world to bet. Only in Brazil are about 200 thousand. To get a sense, there is a large and sophisticated network of foreign casino agents in various cities of the country, with logistics and infrastructure suitable for transporting players to international casinos. Several flights depart weekly for these foreign gaming houses, with full support from representatives of world famous casinos.
In other words, if we do not have a casino in our country, it means not to bill the millions of dollars that foreign and Brazilian tourists spend when they travel to play. And while other countries have in the casinos a source of high revenue and tourist attraction, Brazil insists on illegality. To get an idea, the illegal games around here move annually R $ 34.1 billion according to institute IBJL (Instituto Brasileiro Jogo Legal).
This is much more than double what is raised in official games such as lotteries and turf. It is also significant the potential that our country has to move with gambling. According to the IBJL, it would be R $ 66 billion in movement and around R$ 30 billion in taxes per year. Not counting the opening of thousands of legal jobs and guaranteed labor rights for those who nowadays act irregularly, once the activity is clandestine. Projections indicate that, with casinos alone, there would be 400,000 more jobs.
There is no doubt that it is high time we took this matter out of the debate and made it a reality. The economic crisis that Brazil is trying to recover requires innovation and creativity and I believe that the legalization of casinos is part of the solution we need to help Brazil recover and become a competitive tourist destination in front of other countries.
Herculano Passos - Deputy Federal (MDB-Sao Paulo) President of the Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism in the National Congress
