Casinos have been considered illegal in Brazil and considered a criminal misdemeanour since 1946, by a decree signed by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who would have been influenced by his wife Carmela Teles Dutra, who was known for her strong religiosity to Catholic Church.

The ban, introduced in 1946, came from President Eurico Gaspar Dutra; a man heavily influenced by his wife, who was a devout Catholic, and thought poorly of games of chance.