Banned in Brazil since 2002, bingo may soon be coming to the nation’s football stadiums if an amendment by Corinthians President Andres Sanchéz is passed.
The amendment deals with the legalisation of casinos in resorts and bingos in soccer stadiums with a capacity of 15,000 or over. It will be considered by the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia in the coming weeks, before this month’s recess.
However not all clubs are on board with the idea. Mário Celso Petraglia, the President of the Deliberative Council of Atlético Paranaense, reminded fellow club representatives that the possible approval of the amendment does not guarantee financial benefits. He argued that the management of these enterprises is in the hands of a “world mafia”.
“The activity of bingo today is advancing even with a machine, not only the face-to-face bingo,” he said. “Also the virtual bingo, through the internet. But to clarify, it will be a private activity, so, we will be able to accommodate all interests, all clubs, coinciding within a specific law.
“So I see the case of some states, the need to have this club membership and the understanding with the stadium owner, who owns the control, the stadium operation, because the clubs do not have the expertise to have the task of operating a bingo hall.
“What the clubs will have is participation by giving this condition to the operators. Because this is a world mafia. It starts with the one who owns the technology of the game, the software, which is really bingo. Then we have the machines, which are not sold, are rented. Clubs will have the opportunity to cash in on this, they will hardly have the opportunity to operate these homes, as they are not in condition to do so.”