ICE pushes Brazil towards a legal industry

According to a Brazilian lawyer, the Latin American country is in transition from turbulent gaming history to clear legislation.

Brazil.- Regulation in Brazil has an imminent deadline. All sectors involved in the operation of the gaming industry are waiting for the green light in order to turn the country into an infinite land of opportunities.

Luiz Felipe Maia -Brazilian Founding Partner of law firm “Olivera Ramos, Maia e Advogados Associados”- suggested at Latin America ICE Totally Gaming seminar that the industry must lobby political decision-makers to finally announce the correct regulations for the market.

“It is not a question of whether the industry will be regulated, but how it will be regulated,” commented Maia at the event. Although currently gaming is prohibited, a lot of places are operating illegally in front of the whole society. However, the bill that the government is studying has several issues listed by Maia, who believes that the Deputies Special Commission is changing some sections before sending it back to the Senate and the President for the official approval.

The most criticised points of the bill by Maia are the high taxes, “if they are too high, then operators won’t come and there won’t be any taxes to collect,” he explained. Another critical point is the lack of regulation for online games and sports betting.

“The average Brazilian sees the gambling industry as featuring money laundering, sharks, prostitution and criminals whereas we know that the opposite is true. The industry need to show what it is and what it can do for the country. This is the time for the gambling industry to come to Brazil and lobby,” Maia expressed. Besides, he assured that the media is necessary to help “alter public perception.”

(Focus Gaming News and Totally Gaming)