Senate land-based casinos vote postponed

This is at least the second time the vote to legalise land-based casinos, jogo de bicho and betting on horse racing in Brazil was postponed. An August date was missed and an October vote was predicted, after municipal elections concluded early in the month. But the bill has yet be moved over the line.

Silvestre, rapporteur of the land-based casinos bill, said: “We are waiting for things to cool down a bit, but I am convinced that this year we will pass the bill. We already have the necessary votes, we have convinced the senators, at least the majority,” according to Yogonet.

Irajá made the comments at a business event in Sao Paolo on 18 October. He said he has been in regular communication with senate president Rodrigo Pacheco and both believe the political climate is not ripe for a vote on land-based casinos

It has been estimated the approval of PL 2,234/2022 could provide approximately BRL20bn in revenue a year. 

Those in the land-based industry believe now is the right time to pass this bill. Alex Pariente, corporate senior vice president of casino and hotel operations at Hard Rock International told iGB in September he expected the sector to “see results very soon”.

“The debate has been very intense. I’ve been myself in the senate a couple of times and I think it’s a very healthy thing to happen before we go into more concrete actions. I’m positive and I think you’re going to see results very soon.”

Online betting preparations have been polarising

The Brazilian government has been particularly busy in recent weeks preparing for the launch of the licensed online betting marketing on 1 January 2025.

There has been much debate over the liberalisation of online betting in the country, with politicians and public figures warning of the impact betting can have on vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those receiving social benefits from the state. President Lula is expected to speak publicly on these issues and a number of other bills that have been filed to address them, in the coming weeks.

Its Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) published a list of more than 2,000 operator domains that were blocked because operators did not apply for a licence by the 30 September deadline. Among the sites on the list are Flutter’s Paddypower.com and Entain’s Bwin.com, Partypoker.com and Ladbrokes.com brands. Both companies have applied for licences for other brands.

Some of the operators on the list are suing Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) for being banned. The list is evolving. For example, Esportes da Sorte was orginally on the banned list. But the company has now received authorisation with the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery regulator (Loterj) and will be able to offer legal wagering throughout the country.

As of last week, 96 operators and 210 brands were on the SPA approved list.

Gambling industry “needs a political makeover”

Irajá may be referring to criticism of the gambling industry as a whole. He said the industry needs a political makeover to make it more palatable for citizens. The “sector will come out much stronger from this phase we are facing in terms of public opinion,” he said at the meeting.

The original story about the postponement of the vote appeared in Veja, a weekly news magazine. The gambling bill would legalise bingo, land-based casino and horse racing betting.