A congresswoman from São Paulo presents a bill that would legalize the jogo do bicho (illegal lottery).
On May 8th, Representative Renata Abreu (PTN/SP) filed Bill 1471/2015 in the Chamber of Deputies. The proposal addresses the exploitation of gambling and revokes the provisions of Decree-Law No. 3.688, of October 3, 1941 (Law of Criminal Offenses, which prohibited the jogo do bicho), and Decree-Law No. 6.259, of February 10, 1944 (Provides for lottery services, and takes other measures).
Attached to Bill 442/1991
The Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies attached the proposal to... PL 442 / 1991, which is already being processed jointly PL 2826 / 2008 authored by Representative Maurício Quintella (PR-AL) (legalization of casinos, casino hotels and others), PL 6020 / 2009 authored by Dr. Paulo César (PR-RJ) (allows the practice and operation, by legal entities constituted as public limited companies, of gambling in hotels, hotel-casinos and casinos), PL 6405 / 2009 authored by Representative Pompeo de Mattos (PDT-RS) (establishes the Municipal Lottery for predictions on the outcome of a number draw, organized in the style of the lottery known as "Jogo do Bicho", revokes legal provisions relating to its practice and provides other measures), PL 4062 / 2012 authored by Congressman Manoel Junior (PMDB-PB) A simple tooltip (legalizes the operation of casinos in resorts), PL 1101 / 1991 authored by Jackson Pereira (PSDB-CE) (regarding the creation of a numbers lottery, organized along the lines of the so-called "jogo do bicho" [illegal lottery], and modifying the legal provisions mentioned, relating to its practice). PL 1176 / 1991 Authored by Representative Sergio Cury (PDT/RJ) (Repeals a provision of Decree-Law No. 3.688, of October 3, 1941 – Law on Criminal Offenses), PL 1212 / 1991 authored by Congressman Paulo de Almeida (PTB-RJ) (regarding the concession for the operation of the lottery known as Jogo do Bicho and other related matters) and, now, Bill 1471/2015.
Special Committee
On the 5th of this month, the president of the Chamber of Deputies approved a request from Deputy Nelson Marquezelli (PTB-SP), who requested the creation of a Special Committee – CE – to debate and propose modifications to Bill 442/1991 and related bills, which deal with the legalization of gambling in Brazil.
Full text of the proposal
BILL NO. 1471 OF 2015
(From Ms. Renata Abreu)
This law regulates the operation of gambling games and revokes provisions of Decree-Law No. 3.688 of October 3, 1941, and Decree-Law No. 6.259 of February 10, 1942.
1944, and provides other measures.
The National Congress decrees:
Article 1. The operation of bingo halls and other games of chance is permitted, subject to concession from the Federal Government, by legal entities established exclusively for this purpose.
Sole paragraph. The authorization provided for in the heading will be granted, for a determined period, to companies that demonstrate financial capacity for the undertaking, chosen through a bidding process.
Article 2. The bidding documents must establish the forms and conditions for operating the games and the allocation of the funds raised.
Article 3. Article 58 of Decree-Law No. 3.688, of October 3, 1941, and Article 58 of Decree-Law No. 6.259, of February 10, 1944, are hereby repealed.
Article 4. This law shall enter into force 90 (ninety) days after its official publication.
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Justification
The purpose of this bill is to repeal the provisions of current legislation that prohibit and penalize the practice of "jogo do bicho" (a type of illegal lottery) and other games of chance.
In reality, this is not an initiative aimed at reinstating practices prohibited by the "Law of Contraventions," since the "jogo do bicho" (animal lottery) is a social phenomenon in Brazil. All Brazilian capitals, in one way or another, practice the jogo do bicho, and newspapers frequently report on the crackdown on various other types of gambling.
It is also possible to place bets and transfer funds online to gambling sites and virtual casinos located outside of Brazil, which involves significant foreign currency exchange costs.
Therefore, it is time for the National Congress to overcome hypocrisy, discuss the matter, and regulate gambling in the most appropriate way to fulfill its recreational and leisure purposes and, in addition, contribute resources to finance social programs.
Therefore, we respectfully request the support of our esteemed colleagues for the improvement and approval of this bill.
Meeting Room, May 8, 2015.
Congresswoman Renata Abreu
