The Bill that regulates sports betting in Brazil, approved in the early hours of this Friday (22) by the Chamber of Deputies, reinstated the authorization of bets for virtual online gaming events, the so-called online casinos.

See More : Chamber Approves Bill Regulating Sports Betting in Brazil

They were already permitted in the text approved by the Chamber in September, but had been overturned during the passage through the Senate. Now, they have returned to the base text.

For Mariana Chamelette, specialist at Aposta Legal Brasil and vice-president of the Brazilian Institute of Sports Law, the reinclusion was a true victory for the sector.

“This approval was essential to make the Brazilian market viable, from the point of view of operators, who already offer these modalities on their platforms,” he says.

According to information from the Câmara de Notícias Agency, evangelical deputies allied with the opposition tried to remove this point during the vote on the highlights, but were defeated. The maintenance of online games received a favorable vote of 261 deputies against 120.

Taxation maintained balance

When it comes to taxation, Mariana sees a balance between what bets and the government expected.

The proposal establishes a 15% Personal Income Tax (IRPF) charge on the net value of prizes obtained. The charge will be made on the total bets per year, on the amount that exceeds the first bracket of the IRPF table ( R$2,112 ).

Companies will be taxed at 12%.

“This common denominator was fundamental to the success of the regulated market in Brazil. However, only the future and the adjustments that may come will show whether this success will come,” says Mariana.

Next steps

According to her, Brazil has the potential to be among the five largest markets in the world. All this, with more protection for bettors:

“With regulation, bettors will be safer as they will be protected by the Brazilian consumer protection code, which is quite protective,” he ponders.

From now on, the highlights will be voted on and, subsequently, the PL will go to presidential sanction. This should happen in 2023.