Brazil’s lower house to discuss eSports bill

Soon, the bill approved by the Senate’s Committee on Education, Culture, and Sports (CE) in early July, will arrive in Brazil’s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. As provided for in the proposal, professional eSports competitions shall abide by the local and international standards accepted by the entities which promote this activity. The President will set the relevant limits and guidelines for its implementation through an executive order.

But the Chamber of Deputies has another bill in its calendar: PL 3450/15, by João Henrique Caldas (JHC), who has proposed to include electronic and virtual games within the activities governed by the ‘Pelé Law’ (Law 9.615/98). According to the author, one of the purposes of his measure is to take advantage of the eSports revenue opportunity that the state has been missing out on.

PL 7747/17 is another pending proposal drafted by deputy Mariana Carvalho, who praised the approval of a similar measure by the Senate.

On the other hand, deputy Roberto de Lucena, member of the Committee on Social Security and Family, reminded that the World Health Organization issued a series of tips to tackle eSports, so their practice could be considered detrimental to people's health.

The entity in charge of overseeing eSports in Brazil (Confederação Brasileira de Esportes Eletrônicos in Portuguese) is made up of 21 federations and over 3,000 registered athletes.