According to recent research reports, it is believed that if Brazil is able to pass gambling legislation, the country could have a major provider of slots gaming. Eilers Research, LLC Founder and the Director of Research for the company, Todd Eilers, determined after studying the bill and country that if gambling is legalized, the country would be a huge slots market according to a report on CasinoNewsDaily.

Eilers stated that Brazil would have the option to create 25 casinos and if those casinos had an average of 1,000 slot games each, the country would have at minimum, gaming devices registered Class III, with a total of 25,000 machines. Eilers also stated that gaming machines would be most likely sold to the operators rather than leased.

If bingo halls are opened in Brazil, around 600, then the country would have Class II devices, as many as 195,000 in operation, which would further the expansion of gambling in Brazil. With the proposed Bill 186, the country would be allowed to open 35 casinos plus one bingo hall to be created for every 150,000 citizens in the country.

The bill was voted by the Senate Commission for Regional Development and Tourism, with the members in favor of the legislation. The House of Representatives will now be presented the measure for the approval needed for the measure to move forward.

In 1946, gambling in casinos was prohibited in the country, so if approved, the bill would allow construction for bingo halls and brick and mortar casinos to take place across Brazil, with casinos ready and operational likely by 2019. The bill also includes language to see the regulatory framework put in place for online gambling.

Earlier in 2015, a similar bill was proposed and approved by the House only to not be approved by President Dilma Rouseff. The President stated that she felt the previous bill would have seen more comprehensive regulation that would provide only adequate levels of fraud protection and tax evasion.

Bill 186 was proposed by Senator Blairo Maggi and is a portion of a package of special legislation that includes bills to help with the recovery of the country’s economy. For 2015, Brazil has reported their worst economic growth in over twenty years, which has prompted legislators to look for a way to avoid an economic downfall. If the bill for gambling is approved, the country would be able to earn over BRL15 billion from annual contributions to the country via tax revenues.

Eilers research as well as information from other analysts show that Brazil is closer than they ever have been before to legalizing a casino industry. The challenging environment economically seems to be the driving force behind the measure moving forward in the country.