On July 8th, the Federal Senate postponed the voting on the bill that proposes the legalization of various modalities of gambling in Brazil, including casinos, bingo, ‘jogo do bicho’, video bingo, and horse racing betting. The proposal, number 2,234/2022, was removed from the agenda by the president of the House, Senator Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), due to the low quorum and the lack of consensus among parliamentarians.
According to Alcolumbre, the decision also complied with requests from party leaders who asked for the postponement of the vote in order to ensure greater participation among senators in the debate. “There is certainly a division in the Senate on this issue. Given the quorum of 56 senators, the great divergence on the matter, and the requests from parliamentarians who would like to be present for the vote, this presidency is officially removing this item from the agenda,” he stated during the plenary session opening.
The bill aims to overturn the historic ban on gambling in the country, in place since 1946, and modify sections of the Criminal Offenses Law (Lei de Contravenções Penais, Decreto-Lei No. 3.688/1942) that deal with these practices.
Among the senators opposing the proposal, Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) welcomed the postponement and called for a broader debate. “I would like the bill to be referred to three committees and, on the day it returns to the Plenary, for the vote to be by roll call. The population is distressed,” he commented.
No new date has yet been set for consideration of the matter in the Plenary.