The bill of Deputy Afonso Motta (PDT/RS), about the legalization of casinos and hotel- casinos, was presented to the National Congress last Wednesday, October 30th. The intention is to allow, under federal authorization, the exploitation of casino activity in hotel- casinos and hotels in municipalities located no more than 50 kilometers from the border with other neighboring countries or if there is a tourist heritage to be valued.
To make this possible, some warnings were introduced. The authorized company shall cumulatively fulfill the following requirements:
"I - be incorporated under the Brazilian law, with its headquarters and administration in the country;
II - prove that they have the operational, technical and financial conditions and requirements for the operation of casino games;
III - make an objective commitment to the transparency of games;
IV - Adopt policies, procedures and internal controls to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and crimes against the financial and economic order.”
In addition, authorized companies are prohibited from making "loans or financing to their users in any form, whether in domestic or foreign currency or in amounts representing them." Another restriction on controlling visitors and players is outlined in Article 4., preventing them from "allowing minors to place bets or participate in casinos games, and to those declared incapable under civil law."
Among Afonso Motta's justifications for the legalization of casinos and hotel- casinos is that, of the G20 countries, “only Brazil, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia prohibit casino activities, while Indonesia and Saudi Arabia do so by religious motives.” The intention is for the country to grow economically with the implementation of these structures and encourage the tourism of foreigners.
"According to data from Brazil’s Legal Gaming Institute, the ban on casinos in the country means that about R$ 20billion (US$ 5bn) in taxes are not collected annually. A study by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation points to an even higher forecast of the amount to be collected as a result of the approval of casino activities: R$ 58 billion (US$ 14.5bn) per year. This amount would be sufficient, for example, to pay about 70% of the payroll of active servers of the Federal Executive Power,” explains Motta.
In recent months the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, has defended the establishment of a casino in Porto Maravilha. This plan now has a chance to get out of paper, as it would fit in the municipality with "tourist heritage to be valued."
Source: GMB
