Brazilian bank shelves plans for state-owned sports betting platform
Plans to launch BetCaixa have been put on hold indefinitely to avoid political fallout.
Brazil.- The Brazilian state-owned bank Caixa Econômica Federal has decided to indefinitely postpone the launch of its own sports betting platform, the so-called “bet da Caixa,” to avoid political fallout. It had planned to announce a launch this month, with operations beginning in 2026 and expected revenue of R$ 2.5bn (€390m).
As reported by Focus Gaming News Brasil, the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom) has issued a directive to hold back the project and prioritise other initiatives with greater popular appeal, such as a housing renovation programme and the creation of a credit line for motorcycle couriers in partnership with the Ministry of Labour.
Meanwhile, Caixa reportedly intends to concentrate its communication on actions to be presented during COP30, the UN conference on climate change taking place this month in Belém.
The postponement occurs after president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said he would seek explanations from the state bank following criticism from the opposition. Caixa already runs all federal lotteries in Brazil through its Caixa Loterias subsidiary, managing national lottery products, such as Mega-Sena, Quina, and Loteca.
See also: Brazil’s retroactive betting tax off the cards after withdrawal by chamber of deputies
Caixa Loterias received authorisation from Brazil’s gambling regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) on July 30 to launch fixed-odds betting. The authorisation under Ordinance No. 1,665/2025 is valid until December 31, 2029, and allows the operation of three brands: BetCaixa, MegaBet and Xbet Caixa, covering sports betting and online games, both in physical and digital formats.
To develop the platform, Caixa brought in Playtech to provide a turnkey omnichannel solution intended to integrate the physical environment of lottery outlets with the digital environment. Caixa and Playtech presented the sports betting operating model to the Lottery Network in São Paulo in August. The bank also planned an affiliate programme to reward lottery retailers for attracting customers.
