The leaders of the Brazilian Senate decided to schedule a vote on Bill 2234/22 for the Senate floor after the municipal elections in October, according to the website Metrópoles.
Following intense debates, the bill, which proposes the legalization of casinos in resort complexes, as well as gambling and bingo, was approved by the Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship Commission (CCJ) in June. In all the bill replaces and is in part an amalgamation of as many as twenty other gambling related projects. However, Senate leaders now believe that the issue requires further consideration, and the different legislative schedule in August and September due to the municipal elections makes it difficult to have a more in-depth debate.
There is strong opposition to the bill in the Senate, primarily from the evangelical caucus. Evangelical senators argue that the creation of casinos will lead to increased money laundering, drug trafficking, and crime. According to Metrópoles, the federal government “has not taken a definitive stance on the issue and is likely to remain neutral, allowing its allies to vote as they wish.”
The possibility of voting on the bill in October had already been indicated by Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco. According to CNN, Pacheco sees other more urgent issues in the second half of the year, such as the renegotiation of state debts and compensation for payroll tax exemptions. These were two of the issues that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prioritized in a recent meeting with the senator.
