VIE 29 DE MARZO DE 2024 - 12:49hs.
Marcelo Álvaro Antônio

Minister says Brazil won’t be different to countries that allow IR with casinos

The Tourism Minister of Brazil, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, said that the government should provoke a debate in Congress about allowing casinos in integrated resorts. The measure was also defended Rio’s mayor, Marcelo Crivella. 'Casinos integrated to resorts are an inevitable discussion because 95% of developed countries already allow them and Brazil will not be different,' said the Minister.

The Tourism Minister, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, said this week that the government should provoke a debate in Congress about allowing casinos to operate integrated resorts. The measure was also defended by the mayor of Rio, Marcelo Crivella (PRB).

The Minister, however, made it clear that this is not an item that will be discussed in the short term, arguing that there are other tourism issues that are more priority. "I believe that a more expanding rule would not be approved in Brazil, but the casinos integrated into the resorts are an unavoidable discussion, since 95% of developed countries already allow them and Brazil will not be different."

Licensed Bishop of the Universal Church, Marcelo Crivella defended on Wednesday the installation of a resort and a casino in the region of Porto Maravilha. The theme was discussed at a meeting between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump in Washington. Crivella stressed that he has already discussed the matter with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes. "Whoever thinks it's a sin should not play," he told the state.

In Congress, the theme is the subject of lobbies and parliamentary fronts for and against the return of these gaming venues, banned in the country since 1946. The legalization of gaming has already been approved by a special House committee in the last legislature, but there is still no vote in the Plenary. The text is the result of 33 bills that regulate everything from casino activities to other ventures.

The proposal stands in the drawer of the Chamber’s President, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ), who has already signaled to pro-casino parliamentarians that he does not think about discussing it before the Social Security reform is approved. According to the coordinator of the Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of Tourism, Deputy Herculano Passos (MDB-SP), it is possible to concentrate the proposal on the approval of exclusive resorts for casinos. São Paulo would have the right to have up to three venues and Rio, Minas and Bahia, up to two.

"I understand that the best model is the integrated casino resorts. Large luxury hotels would attract global conventions, which will generate a lot of development for tourism," he said.

'Whoever thinks it's a sin should not play,' says Crivella

What would be the benefits that the release of casinos could bring to Rio?

Crivella: Entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson, president of the Las Vegas Sands group, has proposed investing US$20 billion to build an Integrated Resort in the Porto Maravilha region if gaming is released. It is important to emphasize that the investment is not just for the construction of a casino. The project provides for a tourist complex, which will generate 50,000 jobs and is expected to quintuple the number of tourists we receive.

What is your religious belief about the gaming topic?

Crivella: As Mayor, I think it's a good opportunity to generate jobs and income for our city. Whoever thinks it is a sin, should not play.

Government may adopt electronic visa for China and India

Tourism Minister Marcelo Álvaro Antônio said that the government is considering the possibility of adopting an electronic visa for tourists from China and India in an attempt to increase the interest of Chinese and Indians in visiting Brazil . According to him, the proposal has the "sympathy" of President Jair Bolsonaro and Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo.

"We have already started a conversation with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, and there is a great possibility of having an electronic visa for these two countries, China and India," said the Minister, during a participation in an industry event in São Paulo organized by the publishing house Panrotas. Although the conversation is still at an early stage, according to him, the measure should be put into practice already this year.

The Minister recalled that the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan, when they became entitled to the electronic visa before the visa waiver, registered a 35% increase in applications in 2018, resulting in an injection of US$ 1 billion in the Brazilian economy.

He avoided estimating an impact of the adoption of electronic visas for China and India, but said that in the case of the exemption for the US, Australia, Canada and Japan, it could reach "2 or 3 billion dollar."

Source: GMB/ O Estado de S. Paulo