Legislation

Brazil authorizes companies to operate sports betting and online gaming amid transition period

The Ministry of Finance has updated the list of authorized betting companies allowed to operate in the country. The list now includes 205 betting platforms belonging to 93 companies. To be included on the list, a betting company had to request authorization to continue operating by September 17 from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA). About 27 companies that submitted requests within the deadline were excluded from the first list released on October 1.

In a statement, the Ministry of Finance said that “due to errors in the notification reception system, three applications made in compliance with the requirements and deadlines had not been included in the first national list published. Additionally, one company and its betting platforms were added to the list after confirming that the request had been duly signed by a legal representative authorized by the company.”

 Earlier this week the Ministry had released a list of 95 companies authorized to operate 198 sports betting and online gaming sites in Brazil during the transition period ending on January 1, 2025. The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) published the list, which indicates that any sites not included will no longer be allowed to offer bets nationally and will start to be taken down beginning October 11. In addition, the secretariat has requested that the 26 states and the Federal District submit their own lists of authorized companies for state-level operations.

Initially the Ministry released a separate list for operators at the state level, which included six companies and six brands granted permission to operate in their respective states. Rio de Janeiro was not initially included on the list as there are still legal issues over how Loterj (the Lottery of the State of Rio de Janeiro) has granted licenses to sports betting companies operating outside of the state. However the new list now includes licenses for the state.

Last month the Brazilian Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) issued Ordinance No. 1.475/2024, outlining conditions and deadlines for betting operators to align with local regulations. Starting in October, companies that have not requested authorization will be considered illegal until they obtain permission. Those that have requested authorization but are not yet operating will have to wait until January to begin, provided they meet all the requirements set by the Ministry of Finance.

The SPA established a deadline of October 1, 2024, for betting companies that had not begun their licensing processes to cease operations in Brazil. These companies are required to complete the withdrawal of bettors’ deposits by October 10, 2024, while on October 11, 2024, the agency will initiate requests to block online betting platforms. Only those companies that have officially submitted their authorization requests to the Ministry of Finance by the ordinance’s publication date of September 17 would be permitted to continue operating in the country.