SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Brazilian National Senate, has come under criticism for the exhaustive process facing the review of the Online Gambling Bill. Critics have pointed that the draft Bill faces too many committee appraisals and third party oversights which will stall the federal review of the proposed Bill.
The draft proposal for a regulated online gambling market was introduced by Senator Ciro Nogueira prior to this summer’s 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and marked Brazil’s first steps towards a legal federal online gambling market.
The Brazilian Senate, issued that the Bill be reviewed by the numerous governmental agencies, in order to ensure best practice for the potential implementation of a Brazilian online gambling market.
The senate processed Bill appraisals from The Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation, The Brazilian IT & Communications Agency; The Commission for Economic Affairs and The Commission for Justice and Citizenship.
Brazilian pro online gambling advocates have commented that the Bill’s review process, is being crippled by senate bureaucracy, who have no intentions to review the Bill and simply stalling any progression for legal online gambling in the region.
Pro gambling advocates further criticised that the senate had not given a planned date for when the Bill would be federally reviewed.
The proposed Online Gambling Bill seeks to establish a European style regulatory model for the legislation of online sports betting, casino and poker services. Its introduction saw the closure of a legal loophole in Brazilian digital/internet law which allowed offshore igaming operators to target customers based in Brazil.
Ciro Nogueira’s Bill has emphasised that operators seeking to enter the Brazilian igaming market, must have physical operations within the region regardless of the operator’s listed country of origin.
