Two bingos have been opened in the last four months in busy places of the city: Avenida Jabaquara, in the south, and Francisco Morato, in the west. Both are authorized to allocate funds to a project for the shelter of children and adolescents living on the street of the charity Casa Taiguara.
The venues usually run from Monday to Sunday, from 2p.m. to 2a.m. or beyond. Some offer services like bar, tobacco shop, wine cellar, and restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bingo cards cost R$ 2 (US$ 0,50). There are also electronic terminals where the minimum bet is R$ 10 (US$ 2.5), and the odds of winning multiply by five.
In a house in Itaim-Bibi, which today allocates funds to the São Miguel Paulista Hope Project, at the east zone of the city, the awards range from R$ 800 (US$ 200) to R$ 20,000 (US$ 5,000). Retired teacher Rosa Maria, 70, goes there weekly with friends. Prudent, tries not to spend more than R$ 40 (US$ 10) a day, and sees gambling as a hobby that moves the neighborhood. “I come here and meet people from all over the neighborhood. We come, have water, coffee, talk. Have a good time,” says Rosa. Her biggest prize was R$ 8,000 (US$ 2,000). “I had a scheduled trip to Europe, and I ended up spending it all.”
Gap
Although bingo has been totally banned since 2000, permits have been given in Sao Paulo based on the regulatory framework of civil society organizations. Federal law (13.019 / 2014) allows entities to “distribute or promise to distribute prizes through draws, gift cards, contests or similar operations” to raise funds.
The management of bingo is outsourced to a company, which is still responsible for passing on to the charity the amount collected with bingo. Outsourcing, according to a criminal law expert, can lead to legal challenges. According to the administration, NGOs report to the courts about the destination of money.
In the case of Casa Taiguara, which has been authorized to perform bingo since 2017, and has been extended until the end of this year, the rendering of accounts is annual. The amount collected at bingos today is 30% of the entity's budget, and because of the income supplement, the entity says it plans to expand the list of projects. The NGO is studying the creation of a new project to receive pregnant women at risk, which would be funded by bingo.
“If it were not for that (bingo), perhaps the institution today would not exist,” says Valeria Bird, representative of Casa Taiguara. “Of course, we were not going to do anything that didn't have any legal backing. Even to make some small (bingos) here at headquarters, we ask for permission.”
The newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo read favorable decisions issued by different judges to four different entities. The number of applications for judicial authorization has been reported to have increased in recent years. Authorizations are temporary. It is at the discretion of the judge to define the duration of the judicial license.
"The institutions have been facing great financial difficulties and are unable to properly develop their social work," says lawyer Amira Abdo, who represents several entities that have been authorized to play the game. “Charity bingos are great alternatives to help fund these actions and help maintain the institution.”
Source: GMB / O Estado de S. Paulo.
