As is public, if until now Brazilians can only play on websites, they will soon be able to access “physical” casinos, licensed and released, as was the case until 1946. However, the position of deputies from the evangelical bench is to oppose to the intention of the government and President Bolsonaro.
Since the Senate Constitution and Justice Committee's rejection of the bill legalizing gambling (in March 2018), all political and media signals on this topic were towards liberation. The religious wing thus shows that it is alive and attentive and that, depending on its political will, Brazilians will only be able to continue playing on the online gambling platforms, continuing the ban on gambling in the national territory.
Damares Alves: Against
The Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights is, according to the Diário do Centro do Mundo, against the liberation of gambling. It is a position that is totally consistent with his political path. Damares Alves has stood out as one of the leaders of the Bolsonaro government with the greatest capacity for projection and assertive affirmation of conservative values, both in general and in his direct areas of activity. It is logical that it would be against any change in the law, repeating the classic arguments that gambling is a matter of moral principle and a source of social addiction.
Moro: is he really against?
As for Sérgio Moro's opinion, the Diário do Centro do Mundo does not clarify whether or not he would be in favor of advancing the measure. The contact of parliamentarians should indicate this, as this type of progress has political significance; normally, they are not done if the interlocutor is not available to accept the idea and with that send a message. Otherwise, it may be thought that there is an idea of confrontation, or that the person in charge is obliged to take a position on the subject. The fact is that, to date, Sergio Moro's positions on this matter are not known.
The split on the right
The liberation of casinos is one of the themes that causes the greatest differences of opinion within the right wing. The more conservative and religious sectors do not want to hear about it; Liberals intend that gambling can be used as a tool for economic development, both generating direct and indirect jobs (stimulating the tourism and services sector in the surrounding areas).
It may happen that officials associated with the conservative sector prove to be the greatest defenders of liberation. This is what has been happening, notably, with Marcelo Crivella, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. It will have disappointed some of its supporters when it came to defend, in a very clear way, the investment of billions of dollars promised by the American businessman Sheldon Adelson for Porto Maravilha. Adelson is a regular on the Forbes list of the richest in the world and, despite being close to turning 90, shows no signs of wanting to slow down his activity levels, and his nose for business remains as alive as ever.
Moro and sports betting
It so happens that the Minister of Justice, in his recent past, took a political position regarding a form of gambling. Everyone remembers that one of the first political positions of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, in November 2018, was his support for the approval of MP 846/18, which would start the process of regulating fixed-odd bets. Under his initiative, the process moved quickly, just in time to be sanctioned by President Michel Temer before leaving office. Sports betting is now approaching the final stage of its regulation. The whole process is expected to be completed by June.
One of the arguments used by Bolsonaro to defend the approval of the measure was precisely the capture of revenue for the Ministry of Justice and to allow Sergio Moro to fight crime. At that time, both those responsible were using the prestige of the other to start the government mandate in the best way. There was no criticism or negative sign from Sergio Moro regarding the approval of a form of gambling such as sports betting. Will the Minister of Justice, intending to publicly show his union and agreement with the President, not end up validating the idea of liberating the casinos?
Source: Diário do Centro do Mundo
