Brazil’s Senate President has renewed the push to regulate land-based casinos in the country.
As reported by SBC Noticias Brasil, Senate President Davi Alcolumbre is currently seeking an arrangement with House leaders to place a vote on Bill No. 2234/2022 on the agenda.
The bill seeks to legalise casinos, bingo halls, ‘jogo do bicho’ (a currently illegal Brazilian gambling game) and betting on horse racing at retail locations.
Despite the actions of Alcolumbre to advance the bill, the legalisation of casinos is facing resistance from opposition parties, and there is no agreement with the parties in the Senate.
If passed by the Senate without changes, the bill will progress to President Lula, who has previously stated that he would not block the bill.
The bill was previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies in February 2022 and had the backing of then-Chamber President Arthur Lira. In June 2024, the Senate’s constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) approved the text by 14 votes to 12.
Bill No. 2234/2022 was originally tabled by Senator Irajá Abreu and has support from parts of the Government, as well as from centrist parties such as União Brasil and PP. Tourism Minister Celso Sabino has expressed support for the bill, saying that the approval of physical casinos should bring greater visibility to tourism in the country.
Abreu has repeatedly reiterated the financial benefits of establishing a land-based casino market, suggesting that investments following the bill’s approval could reach R$100bn ($13.5bn) and could generate 1.5 million jobs in the country.
“We can no longer miss this great opportunity that other competing countries have already recognized—to generate employment, income, and tax revenue, which will obviously be returned in benefits to the Brazilian people in the most essential areas, such as health, education, social welfare, and infrastructure,” she explained in the CCJ.
“After studying this topic in depth, it is not possible that the entire world is wrong and only Brazil is right in not addressing and not establishing criteria and limits with such an important, necessary, and present project in the lives and routines of all Brazilians,”
