The rapporteur of gambling bill PL 2234/23. in the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), Senator Irajá has said that he is confident that the bill will be passed.
“We need to tackle this issue, vote on it, and I am convinced that we have sufficient support.”
Irajá said that that Brazil’s President has already stated that if the Senate approves it, he will sign it into law, and that Vice President Geraldo Alckmin also made a statement in favour of the project’s approval.
“The matter is ready to be considered and voted on. We will have the opportunity to expand the debate in the Plenary, and I am confident that we have the necessary votes to approve the matter, which is very important for Brazil. This is not a battle between the opposition and the government or between the right and the left; it is an economic and social agenda,” he said.
Talking to Poder 360 Irajá said that Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has already expressed his support, and that several ministries have issued technical notes in favour of the matter.
“Out of the 34 OECD countries, only Iceland has not legalized betting and gambling. And among the G20, with the world’s twenty largest economies, only Brazil and Indonesia have not done so . . . The entire world can’t be wrong while only Brazil is right. We need to confront this issue and put an end to the clandestine and illegal gambling that dominates the country,” he said. “With the legalization of gambling, we will create almost 1.5 million jobs. Investment estimates reach R$ 100 billion in five years. We cannot miss out on this serious business opportunity,” he said.
