GGB Magazine April 2025 | Page 34

Will 2025 be the year Brazil finally legalizes land-based gambling? BY KYLE GOLDSMITH

BRAZIL

ON LAND

Will 2025 be the year Brazil finally legalizes land-based gambling? BY KYLE GOLDSMITH

At the start of this year, Brazil finally entered its new era of regulated betting, with the licensed online market launching to much fanfare. However, legalizing land-based casinos is still very much up for debate, though recent shifts in politics and mindset suggest momentum is building.

After years of delays, Brazil launched its legal online betting sector on January 1, and the consensus seems to be that it’ s poised to become a top-three global market. With well over BRL2 billion($ 347.6 million) already paid in online license fees, Brazil’ s economy is set to benefit hugely from licensed digital gambling.
However, land-based gambling is facing similar delays to those that maligned Brazil’ s journey to online regulation.
Despite the Justice and Citizenship Committee approving PL 2,234 / 2022 to legalize land-based casinos, bingo, jogo do bicho and betting on horse racing in June last year, the Senate vote was postponed on numerous occasions.
Yet, the industry remains largely confident the land-based bill will finally be voted upon and approved this year, especially after the election of pro-gambling Davi Alcolumbre as Senate president in February.
Alex Pariente, corporate senior vice president of casino and hotel operations at Hard Rock International, believes Alcolumbre’ s appointment will help to finally get land-based legalization over the line.
“ Alcolumbre is not only a very experienced senator but is also very knowledgeable about the importance of legalizing land-based entertainment,” Pariente explains.“ So there’ s good dialogue, there’ s good collaboration. I think we have good sentiment towards advancing with this.” Ari Celia, director at Brazil payments company Pay4Fun, isn’ t so sure.“ The rumors are the government, the Senate, is considering voting the bill that is sitting there in this first semester,” Celia says.“ It’ s politics. It may take longer. It may happen. We don’ t know.” Why is this attempt at land-based legalization different? Gambling was outlawed in Brazil in 1946, and though bingo was legalized again temporarily for about a decade across the turn of the century, a number of attempts to push through land-based legislation have since fallen by the wayside.
With licensed online gambling now a reality in Brazil, though, the industry feels it makes sense for the brick-and-mortar alternative to join digital betting in the regulated sphere.
Hugo Baungartner, chief commercial officer of local operator Aposta Ganha, has been in the industry for 28 years and has observed numerous attempts to legalize land-based betting in Brazil come and go. However, he believes online regulation has brought a change in mindset in Brazil, one that will ultimately see land-based legalization arrive in 2025.
“ I think that land-based regulation will come this year, because gaming is a reality in Brazil, number one,” Baungartner says.
“ Number two, the mindset has changed since 2010, or 2000. People are different. People understand. People travel the world and they see everything.
18 Global Gaming Business APRIL 2025