This bill —442/1991— was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in February 2022. The Brazilian Senate has postponed the vote on the bill authorizing casinos and bingo halls, legalizing gambling and allowing betting on horse races. The proposal was withdrawn at the request of the rapporteur, Irajá (PSD-TO), after a broad debate among senators. According to the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, with this decision the proposal will be voted on next year.
On the one hand, there was an urgent request to vote, but it did not materialize. On the other hand, information was requested from ministries and the sending of bill 2,234/2022 to three committees was also requested. In removing it from the agenda, Pacheco reported that the project will await responses from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, which will be delivered within 30 days.
Presented by Senator Flávio Arns (PSB-PR), the request asks for “projected data on the specific effects of the proposal on the services of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers of the public network for the treatment of gambling addiction problems.” Since the urgent request was not approved, the presented modifications must be analyzed by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) under the management of the next Board of Directors and the new presidency of the collegiate body.
What does the Brazilian Church say about the legalization of gambling?
The position of the Catholic Church in Brazil on the harms of gambling has existed for more than four decades. In its current statement, it emphasizes what gambling means: “a path to perdition,” citing Pope Francis; a way to encourage “fraud, manipulation of results, corruption and money laundering”; risk of gambling addiction, among others.
The bishops rely on prayer: “We pray that Brazilian parliamentarians and public authorities oppose gambling, in any of its forms, promoting the good of families, protecting the fundamental values of life in society and guaranteeing a dignified and fair future for the nation.” The communication is signed by Dom Jaime Spengler, Archbishop of Porto Alegre (RS), President of CNBB, who will be created cardinal this Sunday, December 8, in the Vatican; Dom João Justino de Medeiros Silva, Archbishop of Goiânia (GO), First Vice-President of CNBB; Dom Paulo Jackson Nóbrega de Sousa, Archbishop-elect of Olinda and Recife (PE), Second Vice-President of CNBB; Dom Ricardo Hoepers, Auxiliary Bishop of Brasilia (DF), Secretary-General of CNBB.
