Once again the issue of releasing casinos and bingos did not move forward in the Senate. Bill (PL) 2,234/2022, which authorizes the operation of casinos, bingos and other games, will be analyzed exclusively and without any other agenda on the day.
Therefore, an extraordinary deliberative meeting of the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) was scheduled for next Wednesday (19). The president of the commission, senator Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), made the announcement to those present after many discussions between the senators.
This is not the first time that attempts have been made to vote on the release of casinos
At the meeting last Wednesday (12), Senator Irajá (PSD-TO), who is the project’s rapporteur and the proposal’s biggest supporter, made a supplementary vote. Thus, he ended up accepting five amendments in the wording of the project.
But this was not enough to end the discussion between senators and some asked for more time to analyze the changes. The confusion began when another parliamentarian proposed an immediate vote.
So, faced with the impasse, Alcolumbre postponed the discussion until the following week, pledging not to postpone the vote any longer. He stated that he wants to avoid ideological approaches and guarantee the presence of senators at the next meeting.
PL 2,234/2022, originally presented in the Chamber of Deputies in 1991, allows the installation of casinos in tourist centers or integrated leisure complexes. These locations include high-end hotels, restaurants, bars and spaces for cultural events.
While senators against the project argue that the authorization will not bring economic benefits to the country and could promote negative consequences, such as money laundering and tax evasion.
Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) highlighted that gambling disease is a serious illness that compromises productivity and family life, generating crime. For him, Brazil is not prepared for this release due to the lack of adequate control bodies.
Senator Sérgio Moro (União-PR) also expressed concerns, especially about the abusive advertising of online sports betting games. He advocates a careful analysis of the impact of advertising in promoting gaming addiction.
New amendments and deadlines
Rapporteur Irajá praised the postponement decision and informed that 38 amendments have already been presented to the project. Furthermore, he considered the new deadline essential for the detailed analysis of the suggested changes.
“Now, in the morning, we received five more amendments. They require time for calm and balanced assessment. Being prudent, we can admit them or not. The postponement decision meets common sense and the need to analyze the new amendments”, said Irajá.
Senators Eduardo Braga (MDB-AM) and Rogério Carvalho (PT-SE) also defended more time to study the changes, without bringing forward their votes.
“Just to clarify, my position is not an early vote. I asked for a postponement so that we could have conviction regarding the report presented, to vote against or in favor”, explained Eduardo Braga.
