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Jogo do Bicho – Ever Heard About the Largest Lottery in the World?

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Still quite popular as an illegal gambling game in Brazil, Jogo Do Bicho (the animal game) has been prohibited by law since the 1940s. The game is mainly used by mobsters as a lottery-type drawing using daily state lottery draws.

These mobsters facilitating the animal game are known as Contraventores (“Bankers”). Let’s take a closer look at where it all began, and the game’s influence on Brazilian culture today.

History of the Popular Game

Joao Batista Viana Drummond, a Brazilian born Englishman and the ‘originator’ of Jogo Do Bicho, encouraged visitors to guess the type of animal that he would hide behind a curtain as a publicity stunt and became very popular with it. The game then became a big numbers game of animals being assigned to 25 different set of numbers.

Many believe that the popularity of the game grew to such an extent because of the large or small wages that could be bet. No limit or minimum wage was required to put down a wager.

Sometimes motivated by corruption and to crack the cycle of gambling, the policies on acceptance of the game grew larger until gambling was prohibited by federal law in 1946. Even though being illegal in most Brazilian states, the game was still thriving.

In 1966, Sao Paulo Police had a successful crackdown operation on the game that grew to an annually grossing of US$500 Million and employed roughly 1% of Brazilian workers. The crackdown operation was quietly resolved.

 

Where It Can Be Played

The only state in Brazil that have legalised the game and where it is regulated is Paraiba. As any amount may be wagered it can be quite dangerous and it is the only state-operated lottery where wagers are not limited to a maximum amount.

It is illegal in Rio de Janeiro, although the game is quite popular. The same goes for 25 states in Brazil where the game is illegal. Thanks to Brazilian legislation, anyone playing the animal game in any of the states where it is illegal, may be persecuted by law.

How It Works

The game works with mnemonic associations using the draw numbers with a selection of 25 random animals. For Example, choosing the number 1 the animal name would be Ostrich, Using the number 2 will count for Eagle and the number three would be used for Donkey.

Each of the 25 animals would have four numbers between one and one hundred assigned to them.

An example of how one would start your game is to bet one Brazilian Real on an animal, but one can also choose combined numerals assigned to an animal.

The bankers consist of managers, operators and dealers. Players place their bets at point-of-sale (“Pontos”) sites where dealers collect money as well as keep records of all the bets and send the records through to the operator who is also in charge of the draws.

Image by Bicho365.com


 
Finding your dealer to place your bet is pretty easy as they are seen in almost every corner of every street with a very specific appearance with floral printed shirts, sunglasses and cigars usually waiting by their “Pontos” which is usually small wooden boxes or simple stools.

On the drawing days, phone lines get clogged beyond belief, with phone companies naming them “Bicho hours”. The drawing which is usually held in local Bicho headquarters at 2 pm is always quickly distributed by taxi or scribbled notes, as well as scribbled on designated walls and destinations with chalk.

Influence on Brazilian Culture

In Brazilian society, Jogo Do Bicho has had a big impact on the culture whether they have been involved in the game or not, with the significant association of the number twenty-four in Brazilian politics, sports and homosexuality.

Influence on Brazilian Sport

With 24 being the number of the deer animal in the game of Jogo Do Bicho, and the deer being associated with gay men, the number has caused some difficulties with professional athletes. As male athletes heavily avoid number 24 jerseys, they are always dissatisfied when forced to wear a number 24 jersey.

With the zebra animal not being in the game of Jogo Do Bicho, the team manager of the Portuguesa football Team “Gentil Cardoso” once described their chances against opposing team “Vasco da Gama” as drawing a zebra in Jogo Do Bicho.

Therefore, insinuating that it would be impossible as they are a much weaker team. As Portuguesa did win that game, the zebra has since been used in Brazil for sports defeats.

Number thirteen has also been significant in sports and is the number for the rooster in the Jogo Do Bicho game. The number is also used by two different football teams.

A football club from Paraiba “Treze Futebol Clube” uses the rooster as their mascot as the meaning of “Treze” is thirteen. Another football club also using the rooster as their mascot is “Clube Atletico Mineiro” as their supporters expected the year 2013 to be the year of the rooster and won the Libertadores cup in 2013.

Influence on Brazilian Politics

In politics, many LGBT candidates use the number 24 in their campaigns to be seen as being associated with the LGBT movement.

The number is also used by heterosexual politicians in the case that they have an Anti-LGBT agenda or not. The Brazilian senate has 81 senators, not one of the senators use the number 24 in their cabinet.

Even though the animal game is still illegal in most states in Brazil, it remains one of the most popular games in the country and is considered to be the largest lottery in the world.

 

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Plaza Hotel & Casino to celebrate summer with Friday night fireworks

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The Plaza Hotel & Casino will celebrate the start of every weekend this summer with a live fireworks show Friday nights at 9:15 p.m., beginning May 24 for Memorial Day weekend through Aug. 30 for Labor Day weekend.
Inspired by the fireworks shows at Disneyland, the Plaza’s Welcome to the Weekend Summer Friday Fireworks will light up the sky above downtown Las Vegas and be part of a festive summer block party atmosphere at the property’s Carousel Bar and rooftop pool deck.
“The Plaza is known for its great fireworks on New Year’s Eve and July 4th, but who says fireworks are only for those holidays?” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “This summer, we wanted to celebrate and give a gift to everyone downtown by sharing the excitement and fun of our fireworks shows with them every Friday night.”
“Las Vegas is the world’s destination because of all the spectacular attractions that are available here,” City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said. “The Plaza is adding a new weekly fireworks extravaganza this summer, and everyone is invited to visit downtown Las Vegas and enjoy the show!”
Derek Stevens, CEO and Owner of Circa Resort & Casino said “The weekly fireworks show will amp up Fremont Street’s high-energy atmosphere to a new level. It’s a terrific addition for the entire neighborhood, providing another exciting reason for visitors to come downtown. Huge thanks to Jonathan and the Plaza team for bringing this idea to life. We’ll definitely be enjoying the show every week from Circa’s rooftop lounge, Legacy Club.”
The fireworks shot from the Plaza’s towers will be visible to the thousands of tourists and locals in downtown Las Vegas as well as for miles beyond. Plaza hotel guests will be able to enjoy the fireworks from an exclusive viewing party on its rooftop pool deck where the fireworks will be “ignited” by a special guest pushing a detonator button on an oversized TNT box.
To attract even more people to stay downtown, the Plaza introduced the only all-inclusive hotel room package starting at $125 per person per night. The package includes bottomless drinks, breakfast and dinner, a free bingo session, waived resort fees, and more. Rooms must be booked online by June 30 for a stay June 1 through July 1.
The Friday night rooftop pool party for hotel guests will feature the Frozen Firecracker, a special red, white, and blue cocktail made with strawberry daiquiri, pina colada, and blue lemonade spiked with Don Q Rum. At Carousel Bar the summer party vibe continues every Friday night with a DJ and the specialty cocktail Watermelon Agua Fresca made with Mi Campo tequila, Jägermeister, rose aperitivo, watermelon juice, chamoy, and aloe leaves as a garnish.
“Downtown Las Vegas is already a vibrant, unique, and exciting destination. Our Summer Friday Fireworks paired with our all-inclusive room package and great summertime block party atmosphere at Carousel Bar and the rooftop pool deck will be even more reasons to come downtown this summer,” added Jossel.
The Plaza’s fireworks will be dependent on weather conditions and are subject to change or cancellation.

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Aviatrix and Vibra Solutions Agree Partnership with Focus on Latin America

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Aviatrix, the crash game that’s changing the way online casinos engage their players, has partnered with platform provider Vibra Solutions in yet another move that expands its reach in Latin America.

Aviatrix’s push into Latin America has really picked up pace over recent months and that continues with this deal.

Vibra Gaming has established itself as a major player in the region since it was founded in 2020 and later with the launch of Vibra Solutions in 2022, its platforms and content aggregation division. Now operators using its platform will be able to offer customers Aviatrix.

“We’ve long admired the fantastic work Vibra Solutions is doing in growing our industry across Latin America via innovative product development,” the Latin America Head of Business Development for Aviatrix, Gabriela Novello, said. “By working alongside it, we’re able to bring Aviatrix to more players in the region and together write a new chapter in this ongoing growth story.”

“Our commitment to our operator partners is to provide the very best portfolio of games available,” the Chief Commercial Officer for Vibra Solutions, Federico Saini, said. “Some of those we build ourselves but others we onboard via partnerships like this. Aviatrix is one of the most talked about games in the industry at the moment and we couldn’t be happier to be able to offer it to online brands via our platform.”

Aviatrix’s has enjoyed considerable success in Latin America since it was launched a little over a year ago including being named Rising Star in Casino at the SBC Awards LatinoAmerica.

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PG Soft Set to Sponsor Key SiGMA Americas Event

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PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, is proud to announce its sponsorship of SiGMA Americas set to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from April 23 to 25. The important iGaming event is being hosted at the Transamerica Expo Center.

As a leading event sponsor, PG Soft will benefit from prominent branding opportunities including the PG Soft logo printed on staff shirts and an exclusive PG Soft logo and video content at the registration table.

This commitment highlights PG Soft’s ambition to amplify its presence in Latin America, particularly the Brazilian market. Before expanding into the jurisdiction, PG Soft completed an in-depth research and analysis project for a true understanding of the local players’ preferences, which included consumer behaviour, purchasing habits and regulatory requirements.

PG Soft has been working on developing bespoke and localised games tailored specifically for the Brazilian audience.

“Brazil represents a wonderful opportunity for PG Soft and we’re proud to partner with SiGMA Americas for this influential iGaming gathering,” a spokesperson for PG Soft said. “We place huge importance on producing localised content, features and promotions that not only align with Brazilian player preferences, but also meet the regulatory requirements.”

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