Evangelists lose their rag as gambling legislation support grows in government
As congress continues to debate gambling legalization in Congress, the breach of political support for the Bolsonaro government seems to widen with pro and anti-casino factions taking sides. On the one hand, legislators of the Centrão coalition are seeking to approve legislation on an all-encompassing gambling Act to include the hereto untouchable popular and illegal street numbers game jogo do bicho, using economic factors as leverage for gambling legislation that would improve tax collection and tourism. On the other, the evangelicals stick to old hat claims that gambling addiction harms families and goes against the religious values they uphold.
In the middle of the chasm, government house, Planalto Palace, sticks to a tight-rope balancing act, avoiding taking sides, except Bolsonaro’s own eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who is one of the advocates for changing prohibitive legislation and make gambling legal in the country, once more.
Gambling has been banned in Brazil since 1946, when then-President Eurico Gaspar Dutra stated that Brazil’s “moral, legal and religious tradition” was contrary to the practice, considering gambling “harmful to morals and good customs.” Since then and over many years, there have been several proposals put forward in Congress to legalize gambling, but none has made progress.
One of Centrão‘s main leaders, house of Representatives president, Arthur Lira (Progressives-AL), decided to try again last month, and created a working group to discuss a white paper gambling legislation and appointed Rep. Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), his ally, to take the proposal to a vote in plenary in Congress, in November.
And while Lira accelerates debate in the House, the Senate is also in the process of analysing at least three gambling bills. Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (DEM-MG), said two weeks ago that he can put one of gambling legislation proposals to a vote in the Senate if there is agreement.
One of the proposals, which has Senator Ângelo Coronel (PSD-BA) as proponent, limits gambling regulating to opening of casinos in hotels. According to Coronel, the release of these projects could generate tax collection of R$ 30 billion per year to the country. Coronel’s calculation is based on revenue participation as tax collection that gambling has in the economy of Italy, stating that taxation on gambling in Brazil would be similar to tax rates that are applied today in sports betting.
Coronel has in his side Flávio Bolsonaro, lobbying for casino regulations. In early 2020, the president’s son visited casinos in Las Vegas, USA, accompanied by Gilson Machado, then president Brasil Tourism Board – Embratur, and now Tourism Minister, as well as Senator Irajá Abreu (PSD-TO), who is also the author of a legislation project supporting casinos in integrated resorts. At the time, the group met with Sheldon Adelson, staunch supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who at the time was president of Las Vegas Sands, one of the world’s largest casino companies. Before that, Adelson had visited Bolsonaro in 2018, as president-elect, and Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy to support gambling legislation in Brazil. the subject. Adelson died in January of this year.
Division flares up with spat of comments
Apart from the divisions between the two groups that support the government, Bolsonaro’s own ministers are showing opposing views on gambling legalization. The rift between both camps was made evident after reports form a ministerial meeting on April 22, 2020, when tempers flared after the decision of the then Minister of the Supreme Court Celso de Mello, the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, to support changes in gambling legislation.
In the report published by O Estado de S.Paulo, at the meeting, Marcelo Álvaro Antonio, then Minister of Tourism, had said that Gambling legislation, “has to be a very well prepared project that I believe can be done; retaking this process, a great opportunity for Brazil to attract large tourism integrated resorts, with only 3% in them to be used for casinos. Also, this has no direct impact on the family of Brazilian workers,”
Infuriated by Antonio’s comment, evangelical politician Damares Alves, is said to have spat: “Then, go ahead and make your pact with the devil!”
Upon such outburst, the Economy Minister, supporting the idea of legalizing casinos, blared out: “That (casinos) doesn’t get in anybody’s way. Let each one gets fucked. Okey, Damares, the president speaks of freedom. Let everyone fuck each other the way they want. Especially if the guy’s bigger, vaccinated and billionaire. Let the guy fuck himself, man! No Brazilian enters into this. No unprotected brasileirinho enters into this. Do you understand?”
