The struggle for the legalization of casinos, betting and gambling in general in the country has been fought since 2014 and seems to be gaining support increasingly favorable to regulation. The event was organized by the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and had the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami and the Bank of Brazil Americas.
Among the authorities present was the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, who was accompanied by other names such as his son and federal deputy for São Paulo, Eduardo Bolsonaro; the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes; the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque; the Minister of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications, Marcos Pontes; and the president of the Brazilian Tourism Institute (Embratur), Gilson Machado, in addition to some personalities linked to the sport and supporters of the Bolsonaro government, such as Vitor Belfort and Emerson Fittipaldi . On the American side were present senator Rick Scott and Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami.
In an interview with Games Magazine Brasil, the CEO of Brazil Internacional Games (BIG), André Feldman, who participated in the meeting, was optimistic about legalization, which still faces some obstacles in Brazil but has strong supporters, such as Vice President Hamilton Mourão. “I explained my position to legalize the entire sector, the gambling market as a whole and not just the part of integrated casinos. I believe that we have to regulate the activity as a whole. We cannot open a sector, a country and give everything 100% to foreign groups. Brazilians have the right to participate and be present in this industry,” he said.
“It was a very talked topic at the event, well discussed, it's on everyone's lips and on the agenda. I spoke with the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Júnior, who told me that he is also supporting legalization. In other words, we have good prospects, but we have to go one brick at a time to build the path,” added Feldman.
Northeast secretaries show support
One of the regions that can gain the most from the eventual release of casinos is the Northeast, which tends to boost tourism in the region. There is currently a consensus among tourism secretaries in the region that legalization will bring many positive things to the Northeast.
Recently, the president of the Brazilian Association of Hotels Industry (ABIH-SP), Bruno Omori, received the State Secretary of Tourism of Sergipe, Sales Neto, who would be the main articulator for casinos, in addition to the partner of the law firm FYMSA, Luiz Felipe Maia. The idea, according to Omori, is to unite tourism secretaries in the region and work on the benches in favor of legalization.
Tourism is the sector that has been putting more pressure on the legalization of the activity. Embratur's president, Gilson Machado, is an avowed supporter of the regularization of casinos in the country, since, according to him, Brazil would attract three times the current number of tourists.
The expectation is that the regulation may generate annual revenue of R$ 18 billion (US$ 3.65b) for the states. Despite this, there are still parliamentarians opposed to the release, arguing that it would be a device for crimes such as money laundering and corruption, in addition to the risk of forming market monopolies.
While casinos and bookmakers are not legalized in the country, Brazilians can continue betting on foreign sites and earn from it, since these sites do not have a company incorporated in the Brazilian system, but in countries where gambling is legalized. The tendency, however, is for regulation to happen, which is a deep wish of the Executive.
Source: Rodrigo Dias – NE Notícias
