Brazilian lawmakers to reopen debate on legalized gambling

Bearing in mind the serious taxation crisis Brazil is currently going through and President Jair Bolsonaro's stance towards the regulation of gambling within the territory, João Carlos Bacelar Batista, a lawmaker belonging to the Podemos party, is seeking to reopen the debate within the Chamber of Deputies.

The legislator led the relaunch of the Parliamentary Front for the Regulation of Gambling which took place Wednesday, May 8, at 9 a.m. (local time) at the Brazilian Congress' lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.

In August 2016, a special lower house committee passed bill 442/91, which provides a regulatory framework for gambling, but the proposal has not been discussed by the full Chamber yet.

Bingo halls, Jogo do Bicho—an illegal lottery-like game very popular in Brazil—, slot machines and online gaming generate over USD 5 B nationwide a year. With a proper regulatory framework, the government would be able to collect more than USD 1.5 B in proceeds. Legalized gambling would also generate thousands of jobs and favor the country's tourism industry.

The Parliamentary Front aims to promote the discussion of this topic within the Congress as well as among investors and the Brazilian society. Bacelar presides the panel, and legislators Pablo Oliva Souza and João Inácio Ribeiro Roma Neto serve as Vice-president and Secretary General, respectively.