“Online gaming is already happening in Brazil and it should be discussed ASAP”
“Online gaming is already happening in Brazil and it should be discussed ASAP”
A tabled amendment to the recently promulgated sports betting regulations was pulled back by the federal deputy, Paulo Pereira da Silva, due to the stance of the Evangelical Bench against the regulations’ enactment.
As per Rodrigo Maia, the current president of the Chamber of Deputies, online gaming is already prevalent in Brazil: “It is not regulated so operators do not pay taxes, and that is why it should be discussed ASAP.”
The amendment withdrawn by Pereira Da Silva was in respect of a presidential decree which requires approval from Congress in order to be enacted, but had already caused much controversy. Pereira Da Silva said: “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I held talks with many political leaders such as Baleia Rossi, Aguinaldo Ribeiro, Arthur Lira and Major Vitor Hugo”.
Pereira Da Silva asked the President of the Chamber of Deputies to remove it from the agenda in light of the resistance the amendment had been met with.
According to the federal deputy: “We ought to discuss proposals that create jobs, incomes, and taxes” as he estimated that the proposed amendment would allow the government to collect approximately BRL 3 B ($605 M).
Rodrigo Maia (DEM – RJ) concurred with Pereira da Silva’s position and expressed appreciation for his gesture, stating that the issue would best be discussed separately but urgently. “Online gaming is already happening. It is not regulated so operators do not pay taxes, and that is why it should be discussed ASAP.”
“I just want to say we should have this discussion when the time is right, because currently in Brazil there are between nine and ten companies that are operating online gaming ventures. There is a conflict in this regard with the Evangelical Bench, which appears to hinder my proposed amendments (a party group of evangelical legislators).
They operate here, but they don’t pay taxes. It is necessary to regulate this activity so that Brazil can make a profit, “explained the lawmaker.“The competition which some Evangelical Bench members claim may exist is already here and it is happening, but it does not have an appropriate taxation framework, such that, as online gambling is restricted, such businesses would have to pay taxes. In that way, the competition that currently does exist will be fairer,” he concluded.
