Brazilian gambling Bill to make slow progress
Senator Nogueira's draft Bill passes through to Senate for discussion, but process could still take "many years"
Caution has been expressed over the potential for a regulated online gambling market in Brazil despite Senator Nogueira’s draft Bill passing through to the country’s senate for discussion last week.
The Bill has now progressed to the Senate’s Commission for Regional Development and Tourism for review, marking its first major progress since being introduced by Senator Ciro Nogueira in July this year.
The Bill will then be picked over by Brazil’s Commission for Science, Technology, Innovation, Communication and IT; the Commission for Economic Affairs and the Commission for the Constitution, Justice and Citizenship, during which amendments and additions can be made to its wording.
After receiving approval by the Senate the Bill would need to be approved by the House of Representatives before being sanctioned by the country’s president, however, legal experts in the country have insisted the process is far from certain and could yet take “many years”.
Neil Montgomery, managing partner at Brazilian law firm Montgomery & Associados, said it was impossible to estimate how long it would take before the Bill could finally be reviewed.
“Our legislative process is most uncertain and highly susceptible to political pressure, and it is also likely that the Bill will be attached to one of the existing bills proposing the legalisation of gaming and betting, and thereafter be processed with such bills,” he said.
The Bill hopes to establish a European-style regulatory model and legalise online sports betting, casino and bingo products with the intent of eradicating an unregulated gambling market Nogueira has estimated to be worth approximately US$18bn.
Its introduction followed the effective closure of a loophole in Brazilian law that had allowed international egaming firms to target customers based in Brazil.