Brazil is reorganizing its oversight of the betting sector, placing the Finance Ministry’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) within an interagency committee coordinated by Casa Civil, the presidential chief of staff’s office.
According to local news outlets, the SPA will now join the broader Interinstitutional Committee for the Oversight of Illegal Fixed-Odds Betting Operations and Advertising.
The body includes representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, the Justice and Public Security Ministry, the Sports Ministry, the Central Bank, the Council for Financial Activities Control (Coaf), the Federal Police, telecoms regulator Anatel and the National Data Protection Authority.
The move follows the provisional measure signed by President Lula da Silva in September, which prohibited betting operators from operating in Brazil. The Government cited public health concerns and household debt.
Brazil authorized the betting market in 2018, but regulation only began in December 2023.
The SPA introduced safeguards including identity verification to prevent underage gambling, restrictions for social welfare beneficiaries, self-exclusion systems and a ban on credit-card deposits. Advertising rules also barred campaigns targeting children.
Now, the SPA is no longer an independent body in the Finance Ministry, but part of the Committee.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has argued that banning the regulated sector does not eliminate demand and may fuel illegal markets.
Recently, a few betting platforms, both previously licensed and illegal, were investigated for continuing to operate in Brazil despite the Government’s ban, with some reportedly using international domains to evade the new restrictions.
No timetable or division of enforcement responsibilities has been specified
