investigation into the links between bingo halls, organised crime, and as front businesses for money laundering. In response to this Decree, 30,000 outraged bingo workers took to the streets in Brasilia, Rio and Sao Paulo in March 2004 to protest about the decision. The Unions claimed 100,000 jobs would be lost and the workers argued it was corrupt officials who should lose their jobs and not the Bingo workers.


Two and a half months later the act was declared unconstitutional by the Brazilian Senate. Since then the majority of bingo halls have been able to remain open by individual judicial order or via specific legislation now in place in several Brazilian states. At the same time a congressional investigative committee is still looking into bingo halls and their possible links to organised crime.


It is in this regulatory landscape that Brazilian Congress has been trying to reach an agreement on the future of the bingo halls. So far there have been seven attempts in the lower house to ban bingo parlours outright. Legislation that supports bingo halls, meanwhile, proposes to put them directly under the control of the Federal Government.


The legislation presented in September 2008 by the Congressional Committee of Economic Development, which deals with bingo halls (and at one stage casinos too), proposes federally regulated bingo halls with at least 500 individual bingo seats. Slot machines would also be allowed on the premises.


bingo life magazine


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