Senate postpones vote on sports betting PL due to lack of quorum

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) accepted a request from the senators this Tuesday (5) and decided to postpone the vote on the sports betting PL, which was scheduled for this Wednesday (6), to the day December 12th.

The senators asked for the postponement due to the low quorum of parliamentarians this week, due to the participation of some at COP 28. This is the second time that the vote has been postponed, the first was due to a lack of agreement between federal deputies from the government base and of the opposition.

According to the opposition, the text opens loopholes for the operation of casinos in the country, despite the proposal not addressing the issue. And to prevent this from happening, opposition senators are trying to introduce an amendment in the plenary session prohibiting the installation of casinos and slot machines in physical locations. The proposal’s rapporteur, senator Angelo Coronel (PSD-BA), did not accept the amendment in the committee.

The text, approved by the Senate’s Economic Affairs Committee, maintains the charge of up to R$30 million as a grant for sites that want to operate in Brazil, but the period for exploring the activity has been increased from three to five years. It also makes reservations about bets that have proven to have a manipulated result, which will be void. The suspension of payment of prizes arising from bets that are the subject of investigation will also be authorized. It is a response to the football match manipulation scheme in the country.

The proposal meets the federal government’s interest in increasing revenue and helping to meet the fiscal framework’s target. The government’s initial estimate is to raise R$1.6 billion in 2024 with the project.

The postponement of the PL until next week coincides with other Senate activities and the long queue of projects to be voted on before the parliamentary recess that begins on December 22nd.