Brazil Senate faces calls for September vote on land-based gambling reforms

Gambling developments in Brazil see Senator Irajá Abreu push the Senate to complete its review and vote on Bill 2,234/22 by the end of September.

Abreu is the rapporteur of Bill 2,234/22, which carries the mandate to modernise Brazil’s federal laws governing land-based gambling activities related to casinos, horseracing, bingos, and the sale of jogos de bicho (instant win games).

Following its recess, the Senate began its review of the Bill, which includes the headline measure to annul the 1946 Decree Law of President Gaspar Dutra, which banned casinos from operating in Brazil’s municipalities and districts.

Providing an update, Abreu noted a positive response to the Bill’s text, which has received the support of Magnho José Santos, President of the Legal Gaming Institute (IJL), and Hazenclever Lopes Cançado, President of the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj).

Abreu is reported to want the Bill to pass its Senate review and vote by the end of September to avoid a clash with Brazil’s municipal elections.

The Senator underlined that the “Bill’s text is mature”, despite key modalities being written over a decade ago by Deputy Renato Vianna (MDB-SC), the Bill’s original rapporteur.

The Senate’s review is viewed as decisive for Brazil to modernise its land-based gambling sector, as the Bill had been sidelined for over three years until Abreu’s endorsement.

“The matter is ready; it is ripe,” Abreu said, adding: “I am very confident that we have enough votes to approve this matter and deliver to the Brazilian people a framework, a new business environment with clear rules, and that we can invite serious people to work in this segment that is currently dominated and controlled by organised crime.”

Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, has backed the project to modernise gambling laws, stating that Brazil should follow other OECD and G20 nations, 90% of which have regulated their gambling markets.

However, the PT government has outlined cautious support for the Bill’s passage, stating that priorities should be focused on the launch of the Brazil Bets market – the framework which will launch a federally regulated online gambling marketplace by 1 January.

Latest developments saw the SIGAP registry inform the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) and Ministry of Finance that 113 operators had submitted licensing applications.