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As Oddsgate closely follows the progress of online betting regulation in Brazil, the SBC Summit in Lisbon recently brought a vital discussion on this topic.
The panel, featuring Oddsgate’s CEO, Tiago Almeida, alongside other industry experts, aimed to find solutions for a safer and more transparent market.
The “Navigating Business Management in Brazil” panel covered highly relevant discussions.
For this discussion, SBC gathered André Geifi, President of the National Institute of Responsible Gaming; iGaming expert Thomas Carvalhais; and Paybrokers’ Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs, Ricardo Diego. Felipe Alves, a lawyer and founder of IGE, moderated the discussion.
The panel addressed essential topics, including:
The growing interest in regulation of the Brazilian market;
The Ministry of Finance's response to new directive guidelines;
The need for concrete data to improve the betting sector’s image;
Comparisons between regulatory processes in Brazil and Portugal;
Freedom and individual responsibility of bettors.
With the progress of Brazilian law, the country moves closer to a unified regulatory model, unlike Argentina, where each province sets its own rules, creating a fragmented system.
In Argentina, there is no single federal law governing sports betting nationwide. Instead, each province is responsible for setting its own rules and regulations.
Bettors can access specific betting sites only in provinces where these platforms are licensed. Therefore, each betting company must obtain separate licenses for every province they wish to operate.
This model is regarded as undesirable, resulting in a fragmented environment with significant regional regulatory differences that lead to oversight challenges such as:
The decentralized nature of regulation can hinder consistent oversight across the country;
Geographical control of bets can be technically challenging, requiring sophisticated systems to verify users' locations;
Different regulations across provinces can create gaps that illegal operators may exploit.
Unlike Argentina, Brazil is developing a federal regulation for sports betting, establishing a specific Ministry of Finance department to oversee centralized regulatory proposals and facilitate control.
A Ministry of Finance department will monitor betting volume and revenue collection.
Bettors must have their identity verified and validated.
Bets above R$ 10,000 must be reported to the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF).
With Tiago Almeida’s Portuguese background, the panel presented a brief comparison between the countries’ regulations, showing Portugal as both an example and a source of inspiration in certain respects.
These differences highlighted potential improvements in Brazil’s regulation, particularly regarding control and oversight.
The Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ) oversees and licenses online gambling and sports betting operators in Portugal. The SRIJ also defines the sector’s tax strategy in collaboration with the government. Part of Turismo de Portugal, I.P., SRIJ retains regulatory autonomy but is supervised by the Ministry of Economy.
The Special Online Gaming Tax (IEJO) is levied on operators’ revenue, exempting players from declaring winnings obtained on licensed platforms.
Despite differences, Brazil and Portugal share regulatory goals: legal security, tax collection, and player protection. However, while Brazil leans toward a more open approach for private companies, Portugal’s market remains more restricted.
Beyond these comparisons, the debate also explored the boundaries of player freedom and questioned whether a fairer, more responsible approach to gaming involves suspending play, banning players, or excluding those who receive government assistance.
There is still much to discuss before definitive answers are found. However, the panel raised an essential reflection on individual responsibility in gaming, advocating for personal discernment over restrictive measures.
At the SBC panel’s close, Tiago Almeida emphasized the importance of adaptation time for the new regulation, noting that Brazil is in a transitional phase following years of prohibition and limited public information.
Thus, education emerges as the most effective path to achieving responsible gaming, making this the ideal moment for the Ministry of Finance to define its position and consider involving the Ministry of Education in this discussion.
Online betting regulation in Brazil is evolving, with implications ranging from player protection to economic growth. Oddsgate is committed to monitoring this process and contributing insights and best practices for a fair and transparent market.
