How to Be a Carioca

Lesson 18 Gambling — Legal and Not So Legal

If you have the urge to gamble while in Rio, you are in luck. Although the government outlawed casinos in the early fifties, many gambling options — legal and not so legal — are available, and the true Carioca will earmark a healthy portion of his monthly paycheck to try his luck at all of them.

Jogo do Bicho (Animal Game): Other than traffic violations, the Jogo do Bicho numbers racket is probably the most tolerated illegal activity in Rio. On just about every street corner in Rio you will come across a group of people milling around an individual sitting on a crate behind a small wooden desk, selling what appear to be little pieces of paper with numbers on them. These numbers correspond to animals — there are some twenty-one animals to choose from. To bet just choose the animal that appeared in your dreams the night before. Once a day the winning number will be announced over the radio, and if you are the lucky winner, you might receive about twenty-to-one on your initial investment.

So you’re probably wondering, why animals? The Jogo do Bicho began in the late 1800s as a means of generating funds for a wealthy baron’s private zoo. Whoever visited the zoo was given a piece of paper with the drawing of an animal on it. At the end of the day a flag depicting the winning animal was flown over the zoo, and the winners would take home prize money. Once the zoo managed to collect the funds they needed the game was canceled, although its popularity flourished.

Today, bicheiros [bee ’shay rroosh], or owners of the Jogo do Bicho, are some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Rio. And even though it is illegal, it still thrives, supposedly collecting funds to support the various samba schools in the yearly Carnival parade. Don’t worry though. That man in front of you in the betting line is probably the local cop placing his bet, too. So the next time you dream of a lion or a dog, run — don’t walk — to the nearest corner, and place your bet.

Loteria Federal: Just sit at a sidewalk cafe, or stop at a street light, and you will be approached by a scruffy looking character selling colorful sheets of tickets with numbers on them. Buy one or several of these tickets, and you will be in the running for big time money, courtesy of the Brazilian government. If a Carioca sees a number that corresponds to his telephone, license plate, birthday, identification, or social security number, he will spend at least a week’s salary on Loteria [loh teh ’rree yah] tickets and call it a good investment.

Loteca: Regardless what those Paulistas, Mineiros, and Gauchos might say, Rio is the soccer mecca of Brazil. What, with Maracana Stadium and the local Flamengo, Botafogo, Vasco, and Fluminense teams, who could possibly dispute that? By filling out a little card at the local Casa Lotérica (betting house) once a week, the Carioca has the chance to pick the winner (or tie) of fourteen different soccer matches and win a bundle. Also called Certo ou Errado (Right or Wrong), this is one game you can win by losing. Miss guessing the outcome of all the games and you will be in the money. It’s almost as much fun as playing the real thing, and you don’t run the risk of walking around with a cast on your foot for a month.

Mega-Sena, Lotofacil, Quina, Lotomania, and Dupla Sena: These lotteries differ in the amount of numbers you can play on each ticket, the price of a ticket, and how often the numbers are called throughout the week. Considering the chance that he might win zillions, a true Carioca will always find the time, and the cash, for his weekly fézinha [’feh zee nvah] (little faith).

Raspadinhas: The baby of legal gambling, these «little shaved ones» resemble those popular Scratch and Sniffs. Just buy a card and scratch off the coating on the designated areas to see if you are an instant winner. In this case, there isn’t a lot to win, but the gratification is immediate.

Video poker and clandestine casinos: Definitely illegal and clearly frowned upon by the authorities, no Carioca in his right mind would be caught involved in either one of these forms of gambling unless, of course, he is a bicheiro, or the offspring of one.