Senator Irajá Silvestre: "The Brazilian casino bill will be approved by the end of the year"

Brazilian senator Irajá Silvestre (PSD-TO), rapporteur of the bill to legalize casinos in resorts in Brazil (PL 2.234/22), was one of the participants on the first day of SBC Summit Latin America in Miami, USA.

After participating in a panel that discussed the possible liberalization of physical gambling, the stages of regulation, and the potential of casinos to boost tourism, Irajá spoke exclusively to Yogonet. 

According to the senator, Bill 2.234/22 will be voted on in the Senate plenary later this year, despite the criticism the gaming sector has faced in the media and political circles.

"It is the best time for us to approve it and start a new business environment in Brazil, making national tourism a great power of our economy," Irajá told Yogonet.

Do you think the casino bill has a real chance of being approved by the Senate in 2025?

No, it will be approved this year, 2024, at the end of the year. This is the understanding of the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, of the importance of this bill for the Brazilian economy. We are losing a great opportunity to generate jobs, income, and taxes for Brazil as long as we do not tackle illegal gambling. We want responsible gambling.

Do you believe that public opinion will support the law, despite the resistance of important sectors, such as the evangelical bench?

I believe so, so much so that all private institutions have expressed their support for the bill through technical notes, such as the National Confederation of Commerce, associations like the ABIH (Brazilian Hotel Industry Association), the Entertainment Association, the Gaming Association, and many others, as well as the public sector itself.

The Ministries of Finance, Tourism, Social Development, and Labor have expressed their support for the project because of its importance. The President of the Republic himself has also pronounced himself in favor of the legalization of responsible gaming, with control, and regulation of the market by the public authorities. It is the best time to approve it and start a new business environment in Brazil, making national tourism a great power of our economy.

You mentioned that Brazil would grow a lot in the tourism sector with the legalization of land-based casinos. Do you have an estimate of how much this growth would be?

I believe that Brazil, which currently receives six million tourists a year, will receive at least double in five years, 12 million tourists (with the legalization of casinos). These are people who will spend euros, dollars, and many other international currencies to create jobs for Brazilians.

It will boost our trade, as well as our service providers. So the expectation, in addition to doubling the volume of tourists we receive today, is also an investment of more than BRL 100 billion (about USD 17.3 billion) in the implementation of integrated resorts.

According to your forecasts, when do you think the new casinos could start operating?

If the law is approved and sanctioned this year, I believe that next year the government will issue public notices so that private companies can participate in these bids and define which companies will be able to make these new investments. It is something very similar to what happened with the airport auctions, which were also a great success.