Court orders issuance of more provisional licences for online gambling in Brazil 

The SPA has now issued 43 full betting licences and seven new provisional licences.

Brazil.- The new Brazilian gambling regulator, the SPA, has been ordered to issue seven more provisional licences for the country’s newly regulated online gambling market. The companies had taken legal action after the SPA failed to process their applications in time for the market launch.

The regulatory framework for online gambling in Brazil came into effect on January 1, by which point the SPA had approved 71 of the 144 licence applications that it had received by an August deadline that guaranteed a decision by launch. The majority of these were provisional licences, which were issued to allow the licensee to operate while completing paperwork and other requirements. 

Since August 20, the number of full online gambling licences has reached 43, with eight more operators receiving full approval this week. However, several companies that said they applied for a licence before August 20 still have not received any form of licence.

Atlantis Comercio Eletrônico e Software House, which runs the MetBet brand, said it had received no response from the SPA apart from a request for documents as late as January 17. It made a legal appeal, and the court has now ordered the SPA to grant a provisional licence for Atlantis’ brands since it failed to process the company’s application in time.

Meanwhile, the latest raft of operators approved for full five-year online gambling licences in Brazil comprises EstrelaBet, F12, Upbet Brasil, Ana Gaming, Logame do Brasil, Sevenx Gaming, Bet.Bet and Hiper Bet. Between them, they cover 18 brands, taking the total of fully licensed brands so far to 191. With the exception of Hiper Bet, they all had provisional licences.

Last week, the SPA announced that it would begin work on the creation of a Brazilian gambling self-exclusion scheme as it moves attention to the second phase of its regulatory work. It also plans to strengthen advertising regulations and revise the rules on LOTEX scratch card games.

The regulator has opened a general consultation to gather feedback to help it define areas for improvement. The consultation will be open on the Participa + Brasil platform until March 27. There will be an online public hearing on February 21.

The SPA has also issued an order prohibiting the use of national symbols in gambling advertising or marketing materials. This includes a ban on using the real currency symbol or images of Brazilian banknotes and coins. The regulator said the aim was to “prevent misleading claims suggesting that prizes will be paid in cash, which is prohibited by law”.