Brazil: Senator Girão criticizes casino bill right before Senate vote

Brazilian Senator Eduardo Girão has publicly criticized the timing of the casino and bingo legalization bill, urging the Senate to postpone discussions until after the parliamentary recess.

Girão argued that the bill, which would authorise up to 67 casinos and 700 bingo halls nationwide, demands a deeper debate given its broad social impact. He said the proposal “is leaving Brazilians in debt to their core” and would be a gift to organised crime.

“I’m not the only one saying this,” Girão stated. “The country’s major media outlets, O Globo, Folha, Estadão, have all reported that organised crime has never laundered as much money as it has with the rise of betting platforms.”

The senator also revealed that four important national ministries, Finance, Health, Social Development and Planning, have formally expressed opposition to the bill, as have the Federal Police, the Prosecutor General’s Office and Brazil’s national tax auditors’ association.

Girão warned that the bill risks further exploiting vulnerable communities, claiming it benefits criminal organizations at the expense of low-income families.

Good to know: Eduardo Girão voted in favor of the final report of the national Parliamentary Inquiry on Bets, which ultimately got rejected

He compared the regulation of gambling to tobacco policy, suggesting Brazil should consider advertising bans and stricter oversight instead of expanding legal access.

“We shouldn’t be allowing this. On the contrary, we need to fix the betting problem, not expand it. And if we can’t ban it altogether, at least we should follow the successful tobacco model and prohibit all advertising,” he said.

Carlos Mendez

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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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