G3 MARKET INSIGHT LATIN AMERICA


The power of the chuch


Gambling policy influencers in Latin America


The church has played a pivotal role in gambling policy in Latin America delaying the development of the industry for years, with the church only recently coming out against online gambling in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, the ‘bancada evangelica’


(evangelical bench) in Brazil represents around 200 representatives of the


Congress. Evangelical voters helped propel far-right Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency and will undoubtedly help shape gambling policy. So what has the impact of the


church had on gambling laws and how will it impact the industry in the future?


Home to more than 425 million Catholics overall, Latin America remains overwhelmingly Catholic and is home to nearly 40 per cent of the world’s total Catholic population. However, an increasing number of Latin Americans have joined evangelical churches.


In Latin America the evangelical movement has created so called - mega churches - large, rapidly growing, predominantly Pentecostal churches, and have put their weight behind candidates who reflect their conservative views. The success of evangelical candidates in elections means that the church has an increasingly powerful influence on policies in a number of countries in the region. These include countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Costa Rica.


The influence of the evangelical church is especially present in Brazil. According to Pew Research Centre, while 19 per cent of Latin Americans identify as evangelical Christians,


The influence of the


evangelical church is especially present in Brazil. According to


Pew Research Centre, while 19 per cent of Latin Americans


identify as evangelical Christians, experts estimate that the figure could be as high as 30 per cent in Brazil. 40 years ago, 90 per cent of Brazil was Catholic.


P22 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS


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