EMERGING MARKETS
Brazil: Time to get on the pitch?
With the likes of Gentoo and Better Collective tempering their expectations of Brazil following the market’ s regulation in January, Júlia Silva, editor of Aposta Legal Brasil, considers the market’ s performance so far and asks if now is the right time to enter the region
Betting in Brazil has never been safer, not just for players but also for operators. For the first time, the country has a fully regulated sports betting market, operating under clear rules and state oversight. Since January 2025, only platforms authorised by the Ministry of Finance, with the. bet. br domain, are legally allowed to operate. The result? A reliable sector showing extraordinary growth potential.
In the first three months of Brazil’ s legal market, approximately 73 companies have already been authorised to operate betting activities across more than 150 different websites.
Conditions to operate
There are currently two main types of licences: federal licences, issued by the Ministry of Finance, which allow operations nationwide; and state licences, granted by state governments, which are valid only within their respective territories.
To obtain a federal licence, companies must have legal representation, be headquartered in Brazil, present certified betting algorithms issued by government-recognised entities and pay a licence fee of R $ 30 million(£ 3.9 million /$ 5.3 million /€ 4.7 million). The authorisation is valid for five years and mandates the use of the. bet. br domain( as. com and the like are not allowed). Licensed operators must also pay 12 % tax on their gross gaming revenue( GGR). In addition, each licensed company may designate up to three brands to operate under the same authorisation.
Companies that have paid the licence fee but are still finalising documentation may receive a provisional licence, valid for two months, until all legal requirements are fully met.
In an unprecedented move, the courts have also granted operating rights to 18 betting houses through preliminary injunctions. These operators are legally challenging parts of the national regulation and, while awaiting a final ruling, are temporarily authorised to operate. This includes brands like Vai de Bet, which featured singer Gusttavo Lima as an ambassador, and Zeroum, founded by influencer Deolane Bezerra.
At the same time, some states have begun issuing their own licences backed by judicial support. Rio de Janeiro was the pioneer, setting a fixed licence fee of R $ 5 million, plus a 5 % tax on GGR. Other states such as Minas Gerais, Paraíba and Paraná have also moved forward with similar statelevel models.
As both federal and state licensing models expand, the federal government has initiated discussions with state governments to establish the National Betting System( Sinapo). This system aims to prevent regulatory overlaps and unfair competition. The talks, led by the Secretariat for Prizes and Betting( SPA), seek to standardise technical criteria, reinforce responsible gambling practices and align anti-money laundering strategies. Building this integrated system will be essential to ensure legal certainty and the long-term sustainability of Brazil’ s regulated market – a market that was born large.
32 • iGBAFFILIATE. COM