Balneário Camboriú and Florianópolis must apply for the installation of a casino in Santa Catarina
Photo: Ricardo Wolffenbuttel / SECOM / Santa Catarina

The bill to legalize betting in Brazil was approved in the Chamber of Deputies and will now be evaluated in the Senate. Two tourist cities in Santa Catarina must apply for the installation of a casino resort: Balneário Camboriú and the capital Florianópolis.

If the text is maintained, the state will only be able to count on a venture of this type, since there is a limit of one casino for states with up to 15 million residents. The two municipalities emerge as strong candidates and are already attracting potential investors, including the analysis of areas that could receive the casino resort.

Details of resort casino operation in the bill

The proposal foresees that the gaming complex will have 100 luxury suites and capital of 100 million reais. In this system, only 20% of the space in the center will be dedicated to games. According to the NSC Total portal, Floripa takes the lead due to air access and greater availability of space.

However, Balneário Camboriú has historically had a more aggressive policy for investments in the tourism and entertainment segment. Therefore, the fight has everything to be very fierce.

The casino resort is pointed out as one of the highlights of the bill, the operational model can generate international tourism and resources for the chosen city. However, it is possible that two cities will benefit if another modality is consolidated, the ‘tourist casinos’, in which the game is not linked to a luxury hotel.

The requirements include high tourist demand and 100 kilometers from the nearest casino resort. In this way, Santa Catarina can receive these two business models simultaneously. In addition, the bill also includes bingos, for municipalities with a population of over 150,000 residents, and releases the Jogo do Bicho.

The industry estimate is that illegal gambling currently moves approximately 27 billion reais annually in the country, which can be destined for public coffers after legalization. With the approval of the proposal in the National Congress, the expectation is to generate around 650 thousand direct and indirect jobs.