Senate expected to vote on gambling regulation bill by September

“I am very confident that we have enough votes to approve this matter and give the Brazilian people a framework, a new business environment, with clear rules that can invite serious people to operate in this segment that is currently dominated and controlled by organised crime”,  he said.

The senator took part in the seminar ‘Challenges and regulation of betting and casinos’, organised by Editora Globo with the support of the Rio de Janeiro state government.

He discussed the progress of the text alongside minister Celso Sabino; the president of Loterj, Hazenclever Lopes Cançado; and the president of the Brazilian Legal Gambling Institute, Magnho José Santos.

According to the rapporteur, the regulation of games of chance and betting is an urgent issue, given that the activity currently operates in a clandestine manner and allows organised crime to take part.

“We can no longer postpone this confrontation, we need to vote on this issue. We managed to convince the vast majority of senators of the importance of this agenda for the country”, he added.

Tourism Minister Celso Sabino hopes that the text will be voted on in the next few days:

“We want it to be voted on this week. If not, the next week”, he said in an interview with GLOBO after the event.

Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, president of Loterj, emphasised Rio de Janeiro's leading role in attracting tourists and its potential to increase the state's revenue from games of chance and betting.

He also pointed out that the state of Rio was ahead of the federal government at the end of last year in establishing rules for the operation of online betting platforms. Now, according to Cançado, the entity wants to create a psychological support centre for gamblers addicted to betting:

"This is an ancient form of entertainment, but it also harms society. And we at Loterj, together with the state government, are going to set up the first psychological support centre for these addicts in Rio. Just as the state is being a benchmark in legalising bets, we want to be a benchmark in psychological support.

Also during the seminar, Magnho José Santos, from the Brazilian Legal Gambling Institute, praised the bill for covering not only gambling in casinos, but also jogo do bicho and bingos. His organisation took part in the drafting of the text during thematic meetings in Brasilia.

“The text is very good. Taking advantage of this moment to legalise the other verticals that today are activities practised outside the law was a great opportunity. And the bill provides for part of the funds raised to be invested in tourism. This will be extremely important for society and for the country”, he emphasised.