- Brazil’s Senate Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) approved a bill legalizing casinos, bingo, and horse racing betting.
- The bill would revoke the 1946 Decree Law that banned casinos and opens the door for a new age of Brazilian gaming.
- It states each state gets one casino, but bigger cities like Rio De Janeiro can host two casinos.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil took a massive step towards changing its gambling landscape forever as their Senate Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) approved bill 2,234/2022 by a 14-12 vote. The bill would revoke the 1946 Decree Law instilled by President Gaspar Dutra and allow land-based casinos and instant-win gambling in Brazil.
The 2022 bill now advances to the House Plenary and expects to proceed to presidential sanction, where it would become finalized. Senator Iraja Abreu’s gambling bill aims to regulate Brazilian gambling properly and make it safe for residents to enjoy.
Gambling Regulation’s Impact On Jobs, Revenue
Although Iraja’s gambling bill doesn’t specifically include blackjack or other table games yet, the construction of land-based casinos will greatly benefit the Brazilian economy. Iraja expressed that many direct and indirect jobs will be created through gambling legalization and that it will generate roughly $18 billion in revenue.
“No country that legalized gambling has gone back on regulating the activity, which shows that the benefits are visible,” said Iraja in his speech. “Among them, tax collection and the creation of formal jobs. Today in Brazil, the jogo do bicho alone provides more than 1 million informal jobs and illegal games operate under the shadow of the law without collecting taxes.”
Per the bill, each state will be limited to one casino, but bigger cities can host more casinos. Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Parana, and Rio De Janeiro can have up to two casinos each, while Sao Paulo will be allowed three casinos due to their population.
There aren’t any plans to add real money blackjack just set, but legalizing casinos, bingo, jogo do bicho (lottery-type drawings), and horse racing betting is a huge step in the right direction for Brazil.