The Sports Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has given the green light to an important bill. The proposal establishes new guidelines for the distribution of funds from the Timemania lottery among Brazilian football clubs. The text modifies both the Timemania Law and the Lottery Law.
Congressman Julio Cesar Ribeiro (Republicanos-DF) presented a substitute for Bill 3723/21. The original proposal came from Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB). The rapporteur maintained the main objectives, but drafted a new wording for the text.
The proposal states that 50% of the resources will be divided equally among all participating clubs. Meanwhile, the other 50% will follow the proportion of the choices made by bettors. This system preserves the distribution model currently in force through regulation.
Legal protection for Timemania’s current distribution model
Julio Cesar Ribeiro explained in his opinion: “The change seeks to insert the current system into law to benefit the teams, so that any updates to sub-legal standards do not threaten this form of distribution.” In this way, the project seeks to provide greater legal security to the process.
The text also establishes that the deadline for joining Timemania will be reopened every two years. Veneziano Vital do Rêgo, author of the original project, stated: “We must avoid clubs in the same division benefiting while others do not. Thus, the measure aims to guarantee equal opportunities for all teams.”
Caixa Econômica Federal developed and manages the Timemania lottery. In this way, the system uses the brands of football teams in the bets.
In return, it passes on 22% of the total amount collected to the participating clubs. In addition, bettors can indicate their favorite club on the tickets.
The project is still being processed in a conclusive manner in the Chamber of Deputies. Therefore, it will still be analyzed by the Finance and Taxation, Constitution and Justice and Citizenship committees.
To become law, the proposal needs to receive approval from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. This means that the text will still have to go through a legislative process before coming into effect.
