The history of gambling in Brazil is as controversial as the legislation that maintains its prohibition to this day. In Brazil, the first regulated game of chance was the lottery. Initially, the practice of the game was aimed at raising funds for the construction of public works, as occurred, for example, in the city of Vila Rica, now Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais.
This use of lotteries by the Government for fundraising was, and still is, a common practice. The buildings of the universities of Havard and Yale in the United States, for example, were funded through the sale of lottery tickets.
In the Getúlio Vargas era, between the 1930s and 1940s, Brazil experienced what was called the "golden age" of gambling.
Also during this period the lottery services were regulated by the federal government and the states.
Gambling was legalized in Brazil until 1946, when President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, through Decree-Law No. 9.215 / 46, revoked his permission once and for all. Until then there were 70 casinos operating in the country.
The lotteries and bingos survived the law, the latter for some time, until in 2004, President Lula determined that the bingos would end their activities once and for all. With the exception of state and federal lotteries, gambling is still banned.
But this situation may be about to change. Currently, bills are being passed in the Chamber and Senate on the legalization of gambling - Bill 186/2014 (PLS 186/14) in the Senate and Bill 442/1991 (PL 442/91) in the Chamber.
The questions that motivated the political leaders to suggest the change in the legislation deserve a reflection on the part of those who are against the legalization of gaming.
Firstly, the law on banning games is extremely outdated, it is 73 years old and does not take into account the economic and social reality of the country these days.
Brazil is one of the only non-Islamic countries that still does not allow the activity, already in South America, only Brazil and Bolivia still treat the issue as illegality. More than 150 countries in the world already allow operation as an economic activity.
The legalization of betting would open the Brazilian market. It is estimated that its legalization would result in a state collection would vote around R$ 18 billion (US$ 4.8bn) per year.
According to figures released by researchers at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, the regulation of gambling websites in the country would generate more than R$ 2.7 billion (US$ 720m) in taxes.
In comparative terms, Brazil now collects an average of R$ 4.5 billion (US$ 1.2bn) per year from the automobile industry, approximately R$ 2 billion (US$ 533m) per year from the beverage industry and around R$ 4 billion (US$ 1.06bn) from the cigar industry .
The studies indicate that the liberation of the activity would result in the generation of more than 1 million jobs, being 500 thousand direct and 500 thousand indirect, linked to various economic activities, due to the increase of the furniture industry, hotels, restaurants, etc. The scenario makes Brazil a target of the largest gaming companies in the world.
The liberation of gaming and their respective regulation would be an ally in the fight against money laundering. In order for the State to guarantee this control there are several mechanisms. In European countries, for example, where betting on sports is already regulated, to prevent and combat illicit activities, legislation obliges the betting site to allow the monitoring of the game, as a conditioning factor for its operation.
Through this compliance, it is possible to visualize any deviations of standards, based on a history of computed bets, in which the investigation of the irregularity should be investigated immediately.
In our country there already exist, even, jurisprudence favorable to the liberation of gaming, taking into account the understanding that the practice does not represent more criminal contravention, since it does not violate the good customs and morals. And that its ban violates important constitutional principles, such as free initiative for work and the fundamental freedom of the human being.
The legalization of betting is a controversial issue, but in the current Brazilian economic and social scenario deserves our full attention, because it can transform the future of the economy in our country. Our die is cast.
Source: GMB / A Tribuna
