Brazilian deputy João Bacelar: "Gambling regulation should be voted on in the Senate once the election period concludes"

Approved in the Chamber of Deputies in February, the bill that regulates gambling in Brazil is still waiting to be approved in the Senate in order to become law.

The expectation of the Chamber is that the issue will be voted on before the end of the year, once the electoral period is finished and the results of the second round, which will decide the future president between Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are already known.

In recent statements to the press, federal deputy João Carlos Bacelar Batista, a member of the Mixed Parliamentary Front for the Approval of the Gaming Regulatory Framework in Brazil, stated: 'We approved it in the first half of the year, and the matter passed to the Federal Senate, where it is awaiting the designation of the rapporteur to go to the Chamber of Deputies' plenary session. The expectation is that it will be voted on this year, and the president of the Senate indicated that shortly after the election ( which will conclude on Sunday, November 30) he would "put the matter on the agenda, regardless of who the winner is", the parliamentarian said on Monday, October 24.

According to the text approved by the Chamber of Deputies, casinos may be installed in tourist complexes as part of an integrated leisure offer, which must contain at least 100 high-level hotel rooms, meeting and event rooms, restaurants, bars, and shopping malls.

Also according to the text, the casino space must be, at most, equal to 20% of the total built area of the complex, and electronic and card games may be operated, together with other authorized modalities.

Regarding the limitations, up to three casinos will be allowed when the state's population exceeds 25 million (only São Paulo, according to IBGE's estimate for 2021, meets this requirement); while states with more than 15 million and up to 25 million inhabitants may have two casinos (Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro). The rest of the states and the Federal District, with a population of up to 15 million inhabitants, may only operate one casino.