Brazil Health and Tourism Lotto Debated Postponed
Brazil’s ongoing saga to create new lotteries benefitting health and tourism has hit another problem after the debate on the lottos has been postponed once more. The Ministries of Economy and Tourism have had a disagreement with the rapporteur in charge of the lotto program, Weverton Rocha, and therefore the project has been withdrawn from the agenda for discussion.
Debate on Brazil’s proposed Health and Tourism lotteries has been postponed for a second time. ©Aditya Joshi/Unsplash
Brazil’s ongoing saga to create new lotteries benefitting health and tourism has hit another problem after the debate on the lottos has been postponed once more. The Ministries of Economy and Tourism have had a disagreement with the rapporteur in charge of the lotto program, Weverton Rocha, and therefore the project has been withdrawn from the agenda for discussion.
Postponements of the Bill
In order for the lotteries to be created, they must first be passed as a bill by Brazil’s federal government. The bill was meant to be discussed at the end of September and was first postponed to October 6th. They were postponed again last week after rapporteur Rocha stepped in.
Rocha called for the postponement both times, arguing that there are still disagreements that need to be settled with the Ministries of Economy and Tourism. Both times, the Plenary of the Senate has agreed to postponing debate.
Disagreements to be Settled
There are several points that Weverton argues must be addressed before the bill can go forward for discussion in the Senate. For one, the original proposal stated that the Tourism Lottery would be temporary. The text now says that it will be permanent.
Both lotteries must also be disconnected from the Brazilian banking institution Caixa Econômica Federal. This has to happen in order for the Ministries to authorize them to go further, as it is a stipulation of the Ministry of Economy.
After the first proposal was initiated in the Chamber of Deputies, Senator Weverton accepted 14 amendments of the text, which were added by Congressman Capitão Wagner. However, it seems these amendments have not necessarily been agreed on by the respective Ministries involved in the project yet.
The rapporteur has said that the Senate must approve the modifications that came from the House of Representatives in order for the text to move forward. A new date for discussion of the bill has not yet been entered onto the Senate’s agenda.
About the Lotteries
The bill in discussion, bill number 1.561 / 20 has been in the works for some time. The goal of creating lotteries for Health and Tourism is to funnel additional funds into two areas that have been heavily affected by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the original plan, funds generated from the lotteries would help finance Brazil’s National Health Fund, as well as the Brazilian Agency of International Tourism Promotion. Lottery has been a popular pastime for Brazilians and the new lottos have been largely supported across the gambling industry and federal government.
Brazil’s lotteries have been undergoing changes in other ways this year, as congresspeople and senators look for ways to bring additional funds into public projects and mitigate the losses caused by the pandemic.
