“Brazilian bingos need urgent regulation”

Which is the current situation of the bingos in Brazil?

Today, bingos need a regulation. Nowadays, I think there are a few bingos opened in Brazil, because the regulation we had up to the moment was a legal regulation than is not valid any more.

It is important to note that police operations that are being held in Brazil will continue because the game will not conclude. Society has to see that all the operations that are being held in Brazil are showing that the police power and the control power are corrupt inside the game, and that is very bad.

The Federation has been waiting for the regulation for 5 years. If a specific legislation does not occur, serious operators will leave. President Lula da Silva says: “The activity must be regulated or banned, but it must not continue like this, because we will never achieve transparency the way it is right now.”

Since CPI was organized, slots (which are not video bingos) increased more than 100 % and and bingos decreased a 10%. Since then, we still see that clandestine gaming is increasing, and that is what we want to show from the Federation.

What about the final CPI report about bingos?

We are wondering about that, too: If there was a CPI, today it had to be done what was defined by CPI in the Senate, and the project was released a year ago.

When CPI was organized, Which was the aim of the Movement and the Federation? The first one was not to close the business; the second one, that there was a project that had to enter to the plenary and passed to the government; the third one, which is the most important, is that Brazil should pass the gaming activity to the regional governments.

As well as Argentina, where each province controls the gaming activity.

Exacty. You have a structure, a central power, a federal legislation that may pass to the different regional governments. This way, they manage social, cultural and sports resources…All this is considered in Brazil, in the project number 472/2007. Unfortunately, it was postponed due to the operation held in Rio de Janeiro, in which they have not found anything that involves bingo operators in any type of crime.

How long do you think the situation of the bingo regulation will be delayed in Brazil?

We believe that in the short term, in October or September, we will have a definition.

For the sector, the best thing would be that a specific bingo legislation was approved. However, I do not see it is feasible, so the best would be to be based in the lottery law. Lotteries already have their legislation in different states. Probably, many of them do not want bingo legalization, but it doesn’t matter, because the federation has 27 states, so if ten of them authorized games, the sector will not die.

That’s why you affirm that the game will not disappear but businessmen will disappear, instead?

I always say that. I have a reason to be Head of the Federation, which is to be able to open my own business. I always worked in the purchase-sale area, and always said that in order to buy something, we have to buy it first. Every time I believe more in this sector, and I think it has to exist and it has to be controlled. I want to clarify that we will never be out of the public power. I am expecting October to go to SAGSE Buenos Aires and bring good news. I am looking forward to telling you that bingo will be regulated in Brazil at that moment.

How is the sector affected by the affair of President Lula’s brother? Do you think is it bad for the defense of the sector?

No, the truth is that it is even better. With this kind of things, we realize that there are people that are benefitted with illegality. Police operators are very strong, but show that the game will not conclude. If the sector is regulated, like any other, this will not happen again, because those who are illegal will be reported by businessmen. This control is achieved with regulation, if there is no market control, we are not in condition to regulate, but this happens in all sectors. Today I am very optimistic due to everything that is being done for the sector to be regulated.