Can Jogo do Bilho be included in the betting regulations? Understand
Written by :
Heloisa Vasconcelos
Fixed-odds betting, as bets are known, has been legalized in Brazil since 2018, unlike other games of chance, such as casinos and jogo do bicho.
Online casinos were included in bill 3.626/23 , which deals with the regulation of sports betting, but other modalities may still be included in the law.
The bill approved by the Chamber of Deputies on September 13 is awaiting approval by the Senate before being signed into law. Senators have the option of modifying the text, including or removing sections.
One of the amendments proposed for the bill, authored by Senator Ângelo Coronel, encourages the inclusion of all games of chance in the regulations.
“The world’s great powers have already legalized casinos, so it is important to follow this global trend. We cannot view gambling and casinos as a matter of custom; we have to view them as an economic issue, because they generate revenue and taxes for the Union,” he argues.
The senator stated, in an interview with Aposta Legal Brasil , that he intends to fight for the inclusion to be made when the project enters the Senate’s agenda.
If this happens, the text would have to return to the Chamber of Deputies and only then be passed on for presidential sanction.
Legalization of animal gambling
Gambling is classified as a crime under the Misdemeanors Act 1941. Any recreational activity in which winning or losing depends exclusively or mainly on luck is considered gambling.
The law originally included betting on any sporting competition, including horse racing.
This point was modified with Law 13,756/18, which legalized fixed-odds bets.
For Ângelo, other types of betting should also be regulated to generate more resources for public coffers, especially at a time of lack of revenue.
“We have an amendment that includes all types of games in the sports betting bill. I hope the Senate rapporteur accepts this amendment and we can take it to the Chamber again and approve, not only the regulation of bets, but of all types,” he argues.
What can we expect?
Lawyer and vice-president of the Special Commission for Lottery, Sports and Entertainment Law of the National OAB, Milton Jordão, agrees with the inclusion of gambling in the regulation, but considers that it is difficult for this issue to pass.
“ There is a very conservative wing that thinks that the game will bring very negative things. But we are at a moment of maturity that makes it possible to have this discussion. ”
Milton JordanVice-president of the Special Committee on Lottery Law of the OAB
For him, the inclusion of online casinos in the text of the PL that was approved by the Chamber could be the beginning of discussing the regulation of other modalities.
He believes, however, that the issue should not be reinforced in the Senate if there is resistance.
“From what I’ve seen in the news and what we’ve observed, I don’t think he’ll be involved. If it would generate a big debate to the point of impeding progress, they’ll prefer not to bring up the topic. But if there’s a climate for debate, they’ll move forward,” he says.