Discussion on Bill 2.234/2022 has once again gained momentum in Congress and the tourism industry. The bill, which repeals the ban on gambling and creates a framework for casinos, bingo, jogo do bicho (animal gambling), and horse racing betting, has been ready for deliberation by the Senate Plenary since July 8, 2025.
In that session, the vote was scheduled, but was withdrawn by the President of the House, Davi Alcolumbre, given the quorum and the division of opinions, with the expectation of returning after the recess.
Integrated Resorts and their Effect on Digital Entertainment
The opinion under discussion authorizes casinos in tourist centers and integrated leisure complexes, resorts and high-end hotels with at least 100 rooms, event facilities, restaurants and bars, a model adopted by markets seeking to combine tourism, trade fairs and entertainment in a single destination.
The logic is to create hubs capable of increasing visitor stays and occupancy rates, attracting conferences and shows. This isn’t exactly new in the country, as the online gaming sector is already regulated.
And in terms of user experience, it already caters to Brazilians, who are mostly mobile. Trending casino apps offer different types of games, from slots to those with streaming and professional dealers.
The new law aims to create a physical version of what many online platforms attempt to replicate, based on famous Las Vegas brands. Additionally, integrated resorts can promote campaigns, programming, and activations that speak to the consumption habits of mobile gamers.
Where is the process and what is on the agenda?
After approval in the Chamber of Deputies and endorsement by the Senate’s CCJ in 2024, the bill was assigned to the plenary. On July 8, 2025, Alcolumbre removed the item from the agenda, citing a low quorum and requests from leaders for more discussion time.
The bill’s status, however, remains subject to a plenary vote, and industry leaders expect it to return to the agenda once the recess is over. The bill limits the number of licenses and territorializes the activity.
Each state and the Federal District can have one license, with the exception of São Paulo, which can have up to three, and Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Pará and Rio de Janeiro, which can have up to two, based on population or territorial extension.
Casinos are also planned for installation on maritime vessels (up to ten in the country) and river vessels with a minimum of 50 rooms, with limits based on river lengths. These conditions aim to concentrate investments in more structured tourism and logistics hubs.
The project also regulates bingo, with authorization for 25 years, renewable, and a requirement of minimum share capital, and the jogo do bicho, accreditation based on population criteria, also for 25 years.
Horse racing entities can operate horse racing betting and, at the same location, bingo and video bingo. Registration, periodic auditing, and public registration of machines are required, with gross revenue split between the rental company and the establishment, strengthening oversight and transparency.
Investments, jobs and taxes
Fhoresp (Federation of Hotels, Restaurants and Bars of the State of São Paulo) estimates that the approval of the bill could unlock up to 70 billion dollars in investments in Brazil, considering everything from the construction of projects to workforce training and event promotion.
The entity projects approximately 10,000 direct and indirect jobs and up to R$20 billion in federal revenue. Furthermore, the text establishes the National Gaming and Betting System (Sinaj) and details public policy objectives, such as independent operational audit rules and consumer protection standards.
The framework seeks to migrate a currently dispersed activity to a formal, supervised environment with transparency obligations, with the possibility of creating a regulatory agency.
This debate follows the same path as fixed-odds betting (or “bets”), which are already regulated by specific laws and ordinances from the Ministry of Finance’s Prizes and Betting Secretariat. Physical casinos and bingo halls are subject to the bill currently under review in the Senate, while sports betting and online betting follow their own current guidelines.
Tourism, host cities and economic linkages
Investing in integrated complexes generally translates into new visitor flows and extended stays, a determining factor for cities with a vocation for business and leisure.
For states with greater logistical potential or river vocation, the maritime and river casino window adds cruise and coastal shipping routes to the tourist map, increasing occupancy in low season and the offer of regional events.
The combination of hotels, convention centers, and entertainment is seen by the sector as a multiplier of local income and a mechanism for formalization and revenue collection in currently diffuse chains.
