Without an agreement, the Senate postpones the vote on the sports betting bill

The Federal Senate has decided to postpone the vote on the bill that aims to tax online betting companies and prizes awarded to individuals, facing resistance from both the opposition and the evangelical caucus, which accuses the government of allowing gambling in the country.

The lack of consensus between the opposition and the government prevented the joint voting on the urgency and merits of the bill on the same day. Although the urgency was approved, the majority of senators preferred to wait for a new session for the final analysis, with the support of the government base.

The Ministry of Finance expects to raise R$ 2 billion next year with this measure, an estimate considered conservative. The rapporteur, Angelo Coronel (PSD-BA), included in the text a 12% tax on the income of companies and 15% on the profit for individuals winning prizes. Additionally, the text stipulates that foreign betting houses must have at least 20% of the capital in Brazilian companies.

The merits vote is scheduled for next week, with the session taking place after the return of the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), who is currently on a trip with President Lula. The proposal includes the implementation of the supervision system by the government when granting authorization to operate the sites, also maintaining the right to advertise companies with specific rules and the regularization of all types of online games.

The project proposes an initial grant of R$ 30 million for five years to legally authorize the operation of the sites, including the suggestion of Senator Izalci Lucas (PSDB-DF) for the marketing of fixed-odds bets by Lotteries Permissionaires, with grants acquired by Caixa Econômica Federal.