The bill to legalize casinos, bingo halls and Jogo do Bicho in Brazil has a mature text and already has the necessary votes for approval. According to the bill’s rapporteur, Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), the decision to put it to a vote is now in the hands of the President of the House, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP).
The statement was made by Irajá in an interview with the Poder360 portal. At the time, the senator mentioned that it was under Alcolumbre’s presidency that the Senate’s CCJ (Constitution and Justice Committee) approved the proposal.
“It is ready, ready to be discussed and voted on in the plenary, as soon as our president Davi understands that the environment is suitable for voting,” he declared.
Furthermore, Irajá said he is willing to talk to the evangelical bloc, one of the forces opposing the release of the games. He is also willing to mobilize if the text is discussed.
To gain this support, he also commented on the possibility of changes to the text. “I am open to dialogue, including with the evangelical bench, which has taken a very firm position against the approval of this matter. I believe in common sense,” he said.
According to the rapporteur, it is estimated that legalization will bring R$22 billion in taxes to the public coffers and will double the number of tourists in the country, from 6 million to 12 million per year.
Irajá Senate explains the relationship between the Casino Bill and responsible gaming
In the interview, when asked about issues related to addiction to gambling and sports betting, as well as casinos, rapporteur Irajá commented on what the text highlights.
“Of the 38 OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, only Iceland has not yet approved responsible gambling. If you take into account the G20, which are the 20 largest economies in the world, only Brazil and Indonesia have not legalized it,” he said.
Looking at Latin America, he commented: “If you look at South America, out of 13 countries, only Brazil and Bolivia did not have the courage to confront this issue. The whole world cannot be wrong and only we are right, watching all these countries develop from an economic and social point of view.”
“I am particularly convinced that we have enough votes to approve this matter. Brazil, which ranks 50th in international tourism, cannot sit back and allow itself the luxury of not taking advantage of this great opportunity to generate jobs, income and taxes,” he concluded.
