An effort to legalize casinos in Brazil will first have to go before a public review
Brazil’s Public Security Commission (CSP, for its Portuguese acronym) announced on May 28 that a public hearing will be held to debate how legalized gambling will affect public security. Senator Eduardo Girão, who opposes bill PL2.234/2022, requested the hearing to discuss the proposal to permit legalized casinos, bingo, and other games of chance.
Girão’s request, (REQ) 28/2024, suggests that an increase in money laundering and tax evasion crimes can be attributed to legalized gambling. He also seeks to investigate whether tourists will come to Brazil to engage in gambling activity, which is an argument used by lawmakers who favor the legislation.
“There is a vast possibility that gambling will attract a kind of unqualified tourism that Brazil does not need, which seeks the facilities of a still poor nation like ours, such as prostitution, especially child and adolescent prostitution […] Games of chance foster numerous questions that lead us to believe that there is a pressing need for a broader debate with society,” states Girão in the request.
Girão and other senators announced on May 14 that additional public hearings will be held regarding the legislation. Bill 2,234/2022 will be voted on by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) ahead of the Plenary.
Senator Jorge Kajuru, who was chairman of the meeting, withdrew PL 1,482/2023 from the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies, which initiates the National Policy for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace in Schools. Kajuru also authored the language behind creating crisis management and prevention agreements, with clear actions for bullying and other means of violence.
