Deputies pass Brazilian gaming bill
History was made in Brazil on February 23, 2022, as Brazilian deputies voted in favor of legalizing several forms of gaming. The bill, 442/1191, has been amended again and again over the last thirty years. Arthur Lira, president of the Chamber of Deputies, had previously stated that the bill would need several amendments before being passed by the chamber. The bill will still need to be passed by the Senate and ratified by Brazil’s president.
Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has voted in favor of legalized gambling. ©F Cary Snyder/Unsplash
What this bill means for Brazilian gaming
This landmark legislation marks a major step in the availability and safety of gambling in the South American country. Bill 442/1191 was in fact first introduced about 30 years ago as a bill specifically targeting the popular (and illegal) game Jogo do Bicho.
Since then, the bill has expanded to include many other forms of gaming, both online and offline. As online gaming became more popular throughout the world, Brazilians of course also wanted to take part as well. In general, it is possible to gamble in Brazil at both casinos and on foreign-operated gaming platforms, but none of these providers are regulated or licensed by the government.
The latest form of the bill has introduced the legalization of several gambling verticals: online gaming, land-based casinos (at resorts), horse racing, slots, Jogo do Bicho, and bingo. There are of course many stipulations about how all of these forms of gaming will be conducted and regulated, including limits on licenses for casino operators, and rules about server locations for online gaming sites.
As a part of this bill, casinos can be established across Brazil, but must be on the sites of hotel-resorts. Brazil’s various 26-states can each have at least one casino, but more densely populated states are allowed more, with São Paulo having up to three. A tender process will be used to distribute licenses to operators who make the highest bid, but operators must spread out their work across various states; in other words, no one operator may have more than one license in one state.
The bill has also established the various fees involved in obtaining these valuable licenses. For casino operations, the fee will be about $120,000 per location. Each online license domain will cost the same amount. Bingo and Jogo do Bicho licenses will cost significantly less, at just under $4000 for a bingo location, and $4000 quarterly for Jogo do Bicho, a.k.a. “the animal game.”
How will Brazilian gaming be regulated?
The ratification of the bill would come along with the formation of a new supervisory agency to oversee all gaming in Brazil. The agency will be called SINAJ. In addition, so-called “problem gamblers” will be overseen by a new registry, called the National Register of the Prohibited (RENAPRO). The idea behind the registry is to prevent people with compulsive gambling habits from having access to potentially dangerous, addictive situations.
What happens next?
After the bill was voted on last week by the Chamber of Deputies, with 246-202 in favor of it, the bill then goes to the Brazilian Senate who will also cast their votes. It is possible that Arthur Lira’s words will prove true and that the Senate will not approve the bill before certain amendments.
If approved by the Senate, the bill will end up on the desk of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The president has already expressed his disapproval of the bill (despite his fervent approval of sports betting) and has said he would veto it. Even if vetoed, the bill could be passed nonetheless by the Senate.
