In September 2020, Senator Roberto Rocha (PSDB-MA) asked the former president of the House, Davi Alcolumbre, for the joint processing of his Bill 2648, presented more than a year ago, with Bill 4495 of Irajá, for dealing with the same matter. According to Rocha, the texts are very similar and clearly aim to achieve the same goal. Angelo Coronel is rapporteur for Bill 2648, which allows the opening of casinos in resorts.
For Rocha, the resorts are truly integrated leisure complexes that should contain high-standard hotel accommodations, places for large-scale cultural or artistic meetings and events, bars and restaurants, shopping centers and other entertainment and convenience options, discretion of the entrepreneur.
However, despite knowing the decision of the Commission, Senator Irajá presented Application 1487/2021 requesting the withdrawal of Bill 4495/2020, which “provides for the expansion of tourism in the country through the implementation of integrated resorts throughout the country’s national territory,” as it deals with different matters.
For the Senator, “Bill 2648, of 2019, deals specifically with the exploitation of casinos. Therefore, the object of the proposition is clear: CASINOS. BILL 4495, of 2020, deals with PUBLIC POLICY FOR EXPANSION OF TOURISM IN THE COUNTRY, through the implementation of INTEGRATED RESORTS, so that the exploration of casinos is just an activity within a much broader scope.”
Senator Rocha's Bill 2648/2019 seeks to authorize and establish guidelines for the operation of a casino exclusively in an installed resort or that will be installed in any part of the national territory. "For tourism, it is of interest to regulate the first type of enterprise, which attracts international groups and promotes business tourism and events," stated Rocha in the justification of his proposal.
In Bill 2648, authorization for the exploitation of games in casinos will be granted, and the granting authority must observe, among some requirements, the following: integration of the enterprise with the conditions of environmental and social sustainability of the area chosen for its implementation; hiring, preferably, local labor; making investments, by the authorized party, in the maintenance of the casino, in compliance with the safety rules in the construction, expansion, renovation or retrofitting of casinos; and implementation of training programs with effective use of professionals in hospitality, tourism and related services.
Bill 4495 / 2020 of Irajá allows the implantation of resorts with casinos - the so-called integrated resorts - in order to help expand tourism in the country. In justifying the proposal, Irajá states that "the legalization of casino games within integrated resorts, followed by a concession process, will attract large investors to the Brazilian tourism market, boosting economic activity in all regions of Brazil."
The text provides that the physical space occupied by the casino should correspond to a maximum of 10% of the total area of the integrated resort. And it also establishes that "it is up to the Union, exclusively, to grant, regulate and supervise the services, the implantation and the operation of the activities of resorts integrated with casinos."
According to the Irajá project, integrated resorts are defined as "tourism complexes with casino operations that combine hotel facilities, a convention center, spaces for fairs, exhibitions, corporate events, congresses and seminars, incentive meetings, ecumenical centers, in addition to different entertainment and convenience options offered to the visitor, such as restaurants, bars, spas, shopping centers, art galleries, museums, theaters, golf courses, theme parks, water parks and other options."
Other projects in the Senate also deal with the liberation and regulation of gambling. The most comprehensive is Bill 186/2014, by Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), which simultaneously regulates jogo do bicho, bingo, electronic games, video lottery, video bingo, casinos in resorts, online sports betting and online bingo. Bill 595/2015 is also pending in the Senate, which allows the opening of casino hotels in conservation units.
Source: GMB
