"I understand that is time for Brazil to have a mature discussion about the legalization of the gaming market. Brazil is one of the few countries in the world where the activity is forbidden, in theory. In practice it continues to occur in an illegal way. It does not generate taxes; it does not give people a formal job. It causes enormous damage, "he said.
For Azi, "besides attracting taxes and generating wealth can generate many jobs. I am in favor of the legalization of gaming, jogo do bicho, online games, and I am in favor of bingo. Of course, the casino sector has the power because it attracts investment. Brazil, that has natural beauty, has a great possibility with tourism," he said.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office says that the public accounts crisis prevents the government from guaranteeing the necessary supervision to release the activity. In this scenario, the doors to corruption would be open. The deputy, however, said that money that would be dumped by the casinos would be more than sufficient for the country to have a system for monitoring, regulation and control.
"With the technology at our disposal, it is almost impossible for that to happen. The owners themselves have no interest on having their business used for money laundering and corruption," he added.
It is not the first time that representatives of Bahia try to legalize gambling. The federal deputy Elmar Nascimento, a colleague of Azi, was chairman of the Commission on the Regulatory Framework for Gambling in the House. Last year, Elmar convened meetings with the mayor of Salvador, ACM Neto, to bring three global gaming giants to the state.
Representatives from Sands Corporation, the MGM Mirage group and the holding company controlled by Lorenzo brothers and Frank Fertitta - all from Las Vegas - have already visited the city.
Source: GMB / Bahia Notícias
