Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has advocated on a Brazilian television talk show for the regulation of land-based casinos and bingo halls, citing the positive example of online gambling regulation.
According to the minister, legalizing casinos would not be a “mass gambling activity,” but a strategic economic activity, primarily focused on tourism hubs in specific locations such as Foz do Iguaçu or Manaus or Rio de Janeiro. Haddad emphasized that regulation increases the potential for job creation and visitor attraction.
According to Haddad, the federal government has already identified 30 million unique taxpayers registered on regulated online gambling platforms. Due to the dangers of online gambling related harm the government has initiated a portion of gambling tax revenue to health he said.
The debate also addressed the issue of keeping games like the jogo do bicho (the animal game) illegal, which end up financing organized crime, while regulation could generate revenue for the State and formal jobs.
“I find it somewhat strange, in a way, that virtual gaming has been approved while in-person gaming has not. I found this move surprising.” Haddad said. “What’s the sense, right? Because the in-person game is not a mass game; it’s not something that the masses engage in. Not many people go to casinos. It’s not a popular activity. It’s something for tourists in specific places, generally with other attractions . . . They are strategic places that attract tourists, who come to visit and end up playing at a casino. It generates jobs and boosts tourism, and by the way, Brazil will hit a record number of tourists this year, right? We should exceed 9 million tourists this year. So Brazil has a strong tourist potential.”
The land based expansion bill PL 2234/23 is stalled in Congress, after the Senate postponed the vote in July of this year. If approved the bill would allow for the opening of casinos and bingo halls in Brazil, and would legalize the jogo do bicho and other forms of gambling as well. The Minister publicly supported the bill earlier this year after a meeting with the bill’s rapporteur in the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), Senator Irajá.
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Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has advocated on a Brazilian television talk show for the regulation of land-based casinos and bingo halls, citing the positive example of online gambling regulation. According to the minister, legalizing casinos would not be a “mass gambling activity,” but a strategic economic activity, primarily focused on tourism hubs in specific locations…
The post Brazil’s Finance Minister comes out in support of land based gambling bill appeared first on G3 Newswire.