Brazilian Senator says that bill to legalize games and casinos is ready for voting

The decision to put the bill to legalize casinos, bingo halls and Jogo do Bicho in Brazil is now in the hands of Davi Alcolumbre, President of the House. The statement was made by Senator Irajá, the bill’s rapporteur, who also said that it has a mature text and already has the necessary votes for approval.

“It is ready to be discussed and voted on in the plenary, as soon as our president Davi understands that the environment is suitable for voting,” he said in an interview to Poder360. “I am open to dialogue, including with the evangelical bench, which has taken a very firm position against the approval of this matter. I believe in common sense,” he added.

According to Senator Irajá, the legalization of these gambling activities will bring R$ 22 billion in taxes to Brazil’s government and might double the number of tourists in the country, from 6 million to 12 million per year.

Responsible gambling

When asked about issues related to gambling addiction and sports betting addiction, Senator Irajá said that “of the 38 OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, only Iceland has not yet approved responsible gambling. If you take into account the G20, which are the 20 largest economies in the world, only Brazil and Indonesia have not legalized it”.

“If you look at South America, out of 13 countries, only Brazil and Bolivia did not have the courage to confront this issue yet. I am particularly convinced that we have enough votes to approve this matter. Brazil, which ranks 50th in international tourism, cannot sit back and allow itself the luxury of not taking advantage of this great opportunity to generate jobs, income and taxes,” he concluded.

Bets could reach R$ 30 billion per month

Earlier this month, Gabriel Galípolo, president of the Banco Central of Brazil, said that bets on betting platforms could reach up to R$ 30 billion per month in the country by 2025.

Banco Central presented the data of a study in 2024 that estimated Brazilians spent R$ 20 billion per month, but at the time the research was done the betting platforms were still not regulated in the country. With new regulations in place, it will be possible to assess this number more accurately in future studies. 

“Now with more concrete data, we confirm the figure of R$ 20 billion, and more recently, it may reach R$ 30 billion per month. So far this year, from January to March, the amount we’ve been tracking is around R$ 20 billion to R$ 30 billion per month”, said Rogério Lucca,  executive secretary of Banco Central.

The good news for the bettors is that, as Lucca emphasized, a significant portion of that amount, estimated at over 90%, is returned to them as payouts for their wagers.

Changes in Brazilian regulation

In December 2023, Brazil approved Law 14.790/23. Among the main changes imposed by it, empresas privadas agora poderão operar apostas esportivas tanto on-line quanto em estabelecimentos físicos.

Veja, abaixo, como essa lei afetará as apostas esportivas no país:

• As empresas privadas poderão operar tanto on-line quanto em estabelecimentos físicosAté dezembro de 2023, as apostas esportivas no Brasil só eram permitidas em casas lotéricas e eram controladas pelo governo federal. A partir de janeiro deste ano, no entanto, qualquer empresa privada poderá operar apostas esportivas, seja digitalmente ou em um espaço físico.
• A idade mínima para fazer apostas esportivas aumentou de 18 para 21 anos de idade.
• Anúncios ou qualquer tipo de publicidade direcionado a menores foram proibidos.
• Os melhores devem ter sua identidade verificado e validado;
• As casas de apostas devem implementar políticas para evitar esquemas de lavagem de dinheiro e promover o jogo responsável.

Como funcionará a regulamentação das apostas esportivas no Brasil?

It is important to note that, in 2023, Provisional Measure (MP) No. 1.182/2023 was also approved, amending Law 13.756/18. Among other changes, this law allows for mais controle do setor de apostas esportivas. Por exemplo:

• Monitoramento: as casas de apostas terão que comprar uma licença para operar no Brasil. A tendência é que seja criado um novo departamento no Ministério da Fazenda para credenciar as empresas, após um processo de análise de documentos. Se aprovado, o governo monitorará o volume de apostas e a receita das instituições, o que garantirá maior controle sobre esse mercado.
• LegalidadeAs empresas aprovadas no processo mencionado acima e com licenças válidas poderão receber apostas relacionadas a eventos esportivos. Esses eventos, no entanto, deve ser oficial and organized by federations, leagues or confederations. Betting houses that commit infractions may be fined between 0.1% and 20% of the proceeds of the revenue, depending on the severity of the violation.
• Impostosjogadores com ganhos superiores a R$2,112 terá que pagar 30% do valor de seus ganhos totais em impostos, que é a mesma taxa aplicada aos prêmios de loteria. As casas de apostas, por sua vez, devem ser obrigadas a pagar um 18% imposto sobre a Receita Bruta de Jogos (RBG), que é a receita obtida com todos os jogos disputados, menos os prêmios pagos aos jogadores e os impostos cobrados das pessoas jurídicas. As empresas do setor, como qualquer outra, também precisarão pagar PIS, Cofins, Imposto de Renda, CSLL e ISS.
• Lavagem de dinheiroAs casas de apostas devem implementar controle rigoroso e sistemas de monitoramento eficazes para evitar lavagem de dinheiro. Eles devem enviar informações sobre os apostadores para o Conselho de Controle de Atividades Financeiras (Coaf).

Bookmakers also need to promote ações de conscientização com relação ao transtorno patológico do jogo, para evitar o vício e garantir a saúde mental dos apostadores.

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