Brazil gives first approval to new gambling bill

Brazil’s Special Commission on National Development has given the green light to a bill which once again puts the regulation of online gambling on the agenda, just months after a presidential veto appeared to end any hope of legislation.

The Senate committee yesterday gave its initial approval to a bill, authored by Senator Ciro Nogueira, by eight votes to two with one abstention.

The bill must still pass a full vote in the Senate and also gain the approval of Brazil’s lower house and president before passing into law.

But eGaming Review understands that fiscal pressure on the country’s government makes it more likely to pass than on previous occasions.

According to Nogueira, Brazil is missing out on around £2.6bn in tax revenues each year by not regulating gambling, adding that regulation could also create thousands of jobs.

However, the country’s ongoing constitutional crisis, which threatens the position of President Dilma Rousseff, could see gambling regulation pushed down the agenda.

Rousseff vetoed a previously approved bill in August following an intervention from the Ministry of Finance, which argued that it didn’t have time to regulate the new offering, but sources close to the president say she has since warmed to the idea of regulation.

Brazil’s National Congress began working on a new bill almost immediately after the veto, and there remains plenty of political support for the legislation, which will also expand the country’s land-based offer.