Brazil marks this Saturday the 70th anniversary of the closure of casinos.
This Saturday, April 30th, marks the 70th anniversary of Decree-Law 9.215 of April 30, 1946, issued by President Marshal Eurico Gaspar Dutra, which closed casinos in Brazil. It is rumored that President Dutra was 'influenced' by the Minister of Justice, Carlos Luz, the Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Jayme de Barros Câmara, and his wife, Dona Carmela 'Santinha' Dutra. To mark the occasion, BNL has republished a special edition on the subject with information, curiosities, and articles to commemorate this unfortunate date for the entertainment sector in Brazil.
How casinos arrived in Brazil: Emperor Pedro II gambled.
Historian Milton Teixeira recounts that casinos arrived in Brazil during the Empire and were frequented even by Emperor Pedro II. They went underground in 1917, after the Republic was consolidated.
"President Getúlio Vargas legalized casinos in 1934. According to what was said at the time, the businessman Joaquim Rolla, owner of the Urca, Atlântico, Icaraí (Niterói), and Quitandinha (Petrópolis) casinos, was a front man for Benjamin Vargas (Getúlio's brother), which was never proven. It was said that the casinos functioned as Getúlio's slush fund," recalls Milton.
According to Teixeira, casinos were factories of success, since all the great artists of the 30s, 40s and 50s emerged on their stages.
“They were shut down because there was a conservative reaction from society and the Church. Despite lobbying from the gambling lobby and some businessmen, casinos never returned to legality,” Teixeira concludes.
Some interesting facts about the closing of casinos.
The ringing of the bells
On April 30th, church bells in Rio de Janeiro rang for more than eight minutes, a record, while Cardinal Dom Jaime de Barros Câmara, supporting the measure, gave interviews to newspapers.
Unemployment
In Brazil's 71 casinos, the atmosphere was like a wake. The faces reflected the feelings of some 53.200 unemployed people, from the gaming halls and grill rooms.
The last round
At 23 p.m. on April 30th, José Caribé da Rocha, director of the Copacabana Palace Casino, with a choked voice and in a solemn tone, approached the roulette table, surrounded by gamblers, friends, and employees, and said: 'Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets for the last round of roulette in Brazil!' He spins the cylinder, releases the ivory ball, and with tears and a voice choked with emotion, sings: black, 31!
Little Saint Lady
Dutra met his wife, Santinha, in 1914, at the home of Fernando Henrique Cardoso's grandfather, for whom he was an aide-de-camp. She was already a widow and had a daughter. Many attribute to her the decision to ban gambling in Brazil. She was also the first president's wife to force the appointment of relatives to public office. Dona Santinha died in 1949 at Guanabara Palace.
Considerations
These were the "considerations" of the presidential decree-law that closed the casinos: "Considering that the repression of gambling is an imperative of universal conscience; Considering that the penal legislation of all civilized peoples contains precepts tending to this end; Considering that the moral, legal and religious tradition of the Brazilian people is contrary to the practice and exploitation of gambling; Considering that, from the exceptions made to the general law, harmful abuses to morality and good customs have resulted; Considering that the licenses and concessions for the practice and exploitation of gambling in the Federal Capital and in hydrotherapy, seaside or climatic resorts were granted on a precarious basis, and may be revoked at any time."
Changing letters
Dutra had a pronunciation problem. He used to replace the "c" and the "s" with "x".
The newspaper headlines of that time the day after the Decree-Law
Jornal do Brasil : The Repercussions in the Constituent Assembly of the Decree-Law that abolished gambling.
Evening Mail: Extinction of the game and the fight against Communism
The Radical : The General-President redeems his word to the nation – The government's measure to eliminate gambling throughout the country took on a sensational aspect – The gossip of those exploiting gambling was compromising the honor of respectable public authorities – The decree restores respect for the penal code – The people have always trusted President Dutra
The Morning : Everyone against the game – "The Morning" hears representatives from all social classes regarding the sensational Government Decree – Three religions, through their interpreters, give their opinions in the "inquiry" – Also the common people.
Resistance : A hard blow to the country's artistic future!
Diário de Notícias: A social plague instituted in Brazil by the Dictatorship is extinguished. There was no time for farewells… Yesterday the cheating ceased to function – The casinos did not open the "Grills" halls – Disappointment and satisfaction – An employee opines – An insult to the press – Those who do not accept the extinction of gambling.
Draft bills to legalize casinos
From April 1946 to the present day, 90 bills have been introduced by Congress to legalize and regulate casinos, and all have been shelved.
