The potential for legalizing casino resorts in Brazil

Where are we now

By the end of 2025, the key initiative is PL 2. 234/2022 - is on the agenda of the Federal Senate. The document proposes to allow casinos only as part of integrated resorts (IR) - large tourist complexes with hotels, congress centers and entertainment venues. After postponements in 2024, the project returned to the agenda in 2025 and is ready to vote in plenary.

It is important to distinguish this from the already adopted regulation of betting and online games: Law No. 14. 790/2023 settled fixed-odds and online games, but did not legalize offline casinos.

What the IR model offers

The basic architecture of the discussed scheme is as follows:

Casino only inside the integrated resort: minimum requirements for room stock, F&B, MICE infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, congress squares).
Geographic limits: The benchmark is "one IR per state," with possible exceptions for the largest territories (for example, São Paulo can obtain more than one license). Details are finalized for voting.
Integrated supervision and AML/KYC: The project combines rules for casinos, bingo and other forms, introducing a system of supervision and control.

Economic effect: tourism, employment, taxes

The following guidelines sound in government assessments and industry debates:

Employment: legalization can add ~ 20% to employment in the tourism sector (from current ~ 214 thousand jobs), and the contribution of tourism to GDP will add about + 1.2 percentage points. (the assessment was voiced at the Senate hearings).
Industry multiplier: trade and business associations (e.g. FecomercioSP) support the initiative, pointing to the effect for hotels, gastronomy, retail, show industry and MICE.
Investments and fiscal revenues: business press and industry resources note the potential of "billion" investments in new complexes and significant tax revenues with a full-fledged IR model. (Specific figures depend on final license/rate parameters and IR number by state.)

Where IRs unlock maximum value

São Paulo: the largest business and MICE market, deep air accessibility, high density of effective demand. Potential> 1 license is discussed in profile materials.

Rio de Janeiro: global brand, year-round tourism, synergy with waterfront/congress niche and major events.

Tourist enclaves and natural clusters: northeast coast, southern wine and gastronomic routes - if there are master plans and infrastructure for IR. (Locations will be specified in by-laws and tender documentation.)

Social risks and opponents

Opponents of the project point to:

Risks of malice and social costs (especially against the backdrop of the "bets crisis"). It was this argument that became one of the reasons for the postponement of voting in 2024.
The need for strict regulation of advertising/responsible play modeled on online segment 14. 790/2023 (advertising responsibility, operator monitoring).

What is needed to implement the model - a roadmap

1. Adoption of PL 2. 234/2022 in the Senate plenary and subsequent sanction (with possible editing of geographical quotas and IR requirements).

2. By-law: IR selection and licensing rules, technical regulations (responsible play, AML/KYC, audit, payment/segregation standards).

3. Investment tenders: transparent tenders with KPIs on construction time, employment level, MICE capacities and tourist traffic.

4. Integration with the existing "online circuit" 14. 790/2023: a unified supervision philosophy (for example, SPA/Ministry of Finance - online, profile body - IR), unification of requirements for advertising and safe play.

Scenarios 2025-2027

Basic (probable): approval with 1 IR per state model (with exceptions for the largest), launch of 2-4 pilot locations in economically ready agglomerations; betting on MICE and premium tourism.

Cautious: further transfers due to political compromises and increased requirements for social protection/advertising - IR are shifted to the right in terms of time, but the concept remains.

Ambitious: expanding quotas in the largest states after the first successful launches and confirming the fiscal effect; IRs become anchors for reconfiguration of urban waterfront/congress clusters.

What it means for stakeholders

Hotel chains/developers: IR is not a "casino with a hotel," but a hotel/MICE megaproject with a casino as an anchor. We need partnerships with global casino operators and a long investment horizon.

Tourist authorities of states/municipalities: master plans of the territory, transport accessibility, security, personnel programs are critical. Expected return is ARR/RevPAR growth, seasonal smoothing through MICE.

Civil society/NGO: request for a strict framework for responsible play, restriction of advertising and funding for the prevention of gambling disorders.

Brazil approached the potential launch of integrated casino resorts as a tool for the structural growth of tourism, employment and tax base. In 2025, PL 2. 234/2022 again on the Senate agenda; IR model with geographical limits and strict supervision seems to be the least conflicting. With proper bylaws and pilots in Sao Paulo/Rio, IR can become the new anchor of MICE and entertainment, complementing, not replacing, the already regulated online circuit 14. 790/2023.

Sources: official pages of the Senate and Planalt, materials of hearings and specialized press as of October 2025.