Brazil Senate set to vote on bill legalizing casinos, bingo and more

The Brazilian Senate is set to vote on a bill that would legalize casinos, bingos and expand betting on horseracing; there are even plans to legalize jogo do bicho, a Brazilian lottery-style game. 

The proposal was already approved by the Chamber of Deputies and by the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) and will now move forward to the Plenary.

Permanent bingo halls would be authorised across municipalities, with one for every 150,000 residents. Bingo and videobingo operations would require a minimum R$10m in capital and be licensed for 25 years, which could be renewable. The same terms would apply to jogo do bicho operators, with one licence per 700,000 residents.

Horseracing entities would be allowed to operate bingo games and videobingo in the same venue.

If passed, the law would authorise integrated casino resorts in high-end tourism hubs, each offering a hotel with at least 100 rooms, restaurants, cultural venues and dedicated gaming areas. 

A maximum of one casino per state would be allowed, except for São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas and Pará, which could host two to three due to their size.

Good to know: The plans on advancing legalisation on land-based casinos have been in the works for a while now, despite growing political backlash in the Senate

Under Brazil’s current regulatory framework, fixed-odds sports betting has been legal since January 2024, with licensed operators permitted to offer online and retail betting services under rules set by the Ministry of Finance. 

However, traditional casino games, physical slot machines, bingo halls and the jogo do bicho remain illegal, as no legislation authorising these verticals has been enacted. Lotteries are regulated at both federal and state levels and online gaming outside of fixed-odds betting, like poker, table games or slots, is still considered a legal grey area, with no specific licensing system in place.

Carlos Mendez

Writer

Odds tell a story long before the result does. When bettors learn to read that story properly, betting becomes a matter of discipline and value rather than emotion or guesswork.

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