For the 2nd time, the Senate has postponed the sports betting bill vote

The Federal Senate postponed this Tuesday (Dec 5, 2023) for the 2nd time the vote on the PL (bill) on the taxation of sports betting. The request was made during the session by senators who stated that the low quorum prevented a broad discussion of the proposal.

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) accepted the request and announced the vote on the project on December 12th. Pacheco stated that he will keep the item on the agenda for Wednesday (Dec 6), but that, as soon as the discussion begins, the text will be postponed for consideration next week.

This week, the Upper House is empty because several congressmen are participating in COP28 (28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change in 2023), in the United Arab Emirates. Committee and plenary sessions are being semi-presential, with the possibility of senators voting remotely via app.

On November 29, the vote on the betting project had already been postponed. At the time, there was no agreement on the text. Opposition members claim that the text leaves gaps for the operation of casinos in the country.

The sports betting proposal does not address casinos. The opposition argues that an amendment be included prohibiting the installation of casinos and slot machines in physical locations. In the group's assessment, if this is not included in the project, foreign companies can install online casinos in physical locations and control the devices from anywhere in the world. The rapporteur of the proposal, senator Angelo Coronel (PSD-BA), did not accept the amendment.

The proposal that regulates the taxation of betting is one of the priorities of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to increase revenue next year. The initial estimate is to raise R$1.6 billion in 2024 with bets. The project was already approved in the Chamber in September.

In the Senate, changes were made to the deputies' text and, therefore, the project will undergo a new review in the Chamber. The postponement further tightens an extensive calendar of agendas to be voted on by Congress. The parliamentary recess begins in just over two weeks.