Daniele Correa Cardoso, SPA: “Brazil has already overcome the most intense phase of initial structuring and has now entered a stage of regulatory refinement”
In an exclusive interview, Focus Gaming News spoke with Daniele Correa Cardoso, head of the SPA, about Brazil’s 2026 regulatory programme, illegal market crackdowns, and consumer protection strategies.
Exclusive interview.- At a decisive moment for the consolidation of the regulated betting market in Brazil, Focus Gaming News spoke with Daniele Correa Cardoso, who took over the leadership of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of the Ministry of Finance in February, after Regis Dudena left the position to take over the Secretariat of Economic Reforms of the same ministry.
In this exclusive interview, the head of the SPA details the priorities of the department, the next steps in the regulatory agenda, the fight against the illegal market and the challenges for 2026, as well as presenting a strategic vision for the future of the sector in the country.
What will be your main priorities at the head of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting in this first phase of management?
At this moment, the Secretariat’s priority is to consolidate and improve the regulatory model for fixed-odds betting in Brazil, based on the guidelines established by Law No. 14.790/2023 and the regulations already issued by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting. The focus will be on regulatory refinement and strengthening technological tools that allow increasingly efficient monitoring of market operations.
Among the priority fronts is the strengthening of bettor consumer protection, with the improvement of responsible gambling instruments. In this context, the Secretariat will continue advancing in the development of the Centralised Self-Exclusion Platform, which is already operational and constitutes a relevant tool for users to limit or interrupt their participation in betting. As well as advancing the Cooperation Agreement signed with the Ministry of Health.
Another central axis is the reinforcement of integrity measures and prevention of money laundering in the sector, ensuring that authorised operators fully comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
The Secretariat will also continue to act to improve market monitoring, including the monitoring of advertising practices and disclosure strategies used by operators and their commercial partners, such as affiliates and digital influencers, always with the aim of ensuring greater transparency and compliance with the established rules.
Parallel to this, combating the illegal offer of betting remains a priority. In this area, the Secretariat has advanced in building an institutional cooperation network with different bodies and entities. The partnership with the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) stands out, aimed at improving mechanisms for blocking illegal sites, as well as coordination with financial system institutions and payment service providers, with the objective of preventing the processing of financial transactions intended for unauthorised operators, since these institutions cannot process operations linked to the illegal market.
In advertising, the Secretariat has also acted in a coordinated manner with the National Council of Self-Regulation in Advertising (Conar) and the Digital Council, seeking to strengthen the monitoring and removal of irregular advertising content related to unauthorised betting houses on digital platforms.
This integrated action is fundamental to reduce the operating space of the illegal market and ensure that the sector operates within the rules established for duly authorised operators.
In general, the Secretariat’s priorities are reflected in the sector’s regulatory agenda and seek to ensure three main objectives: protection of the bettor consumer, market integrity and transparency, and effective compliance with the rules by authorised operators.
Will there be changes in the internal structure or processes of the secretariat?
The tendency is towards continuity, with gradual improvements in the regulatory model, and not abrupt changes in the conduct of work. Since secretary Régis Dudena’s departure, the Secretariat has maintained the same institutional line of action, ensuring stability and predictability in the process of implementing the regulated market.
The focus is on continuing the technical work that was already underway, incorporating lessons learned from the implementation of the regulatory regime itself. Over this period, the Secretariat has structured a relevant normative and operational base; the moment now is to consolidate this framework, promoting adjustments and refinements in light of the experience accumulated from market operations.
In this context, the priority is to strengthen integration between the Secretariat’s internal areas and improve workflows, with the aim of providing greater efficiency and agility to authorisation, monitoring, inspection and eventual sanctioning processes, ensuring compliance with the rules by authorised operators.
Is there a forecast for new ordinances or adjustments to the rules already published?
Yes. This is a natural process in a recent, dynamic market marked by intense technological innovation. The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting’s 2026–2027 Regulatory Agenda was structured precisely to provide predictability and transparency on the topics that will be subject to regulatory improvement in the coming years.
Among the planned points are reviews of relevant regulatory instruments, such as improving operator authorisation procedures, refining the sanctioning regime and adjustments to advertising rules, including aspects related to the activities of affiliates and digital influencers. Advances in market monitoring and inspection mechanisms are also planned.
Another important topic under analysis is strengthening instruments aimed at interrupting financial flows intended for unauthorised operators, an essential measure to reduce the illegal market’s room for manoeuvre.
Furthermore, the Secretariat continues to adopt a regulatory approach based on dialogue and transparency, through public consultations and participatory processes. A recent example is the public consultation on the future ordinance that will regulate the activities of providers and service suppliers to the betting market (B2B model), which is currently open for consultation.
In summary, it is a continuous process of regulatory evolution, conducted with caution and based on practical experience from the implementation of the regulated market, always with participation from society and sector agents.
“The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting’s 2026–2027 Regulatory Agenda was structured precisely to provide predictability and transparency on the topics that will be subject to regulatory improvement in the coming years.”
Daniele Correa Cardoso, secretary of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) – Ministry of Finance of Brazil.
How will the secretariat’s relationship with operators and sector entities be?
The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting’s relationship with operators and representative entities of the sector is already technical, institutional and transparent, and will continue to be conducted on these same terms. The Secretariat maintains permanent dialogue with authorised operators, representative associations and other market agents, always based on regulatory transparency, predictability of rules and legal certainty.
At the same time, it is important to highlight that the Secretariat’s actions are guided by the public interest, bettor consumer protection and protection of the popular economy. Dialogue with the sector is fundamental for improving regulatory policies, but compliance with the rules is an indispensable condition for those wishing to operate in a regulated market.
The SPA has also expanded coordination with different state bodies, because regulating a digital market of this magnitude cannot be done in isolation. No body solves such a challenge alone.
In this sense, I highlight the partnership with the Ministry of Health, which is fundamental for developing and monitoring responsible gambling policies and strengthening prevention and harm mitigation actions related to betting behaviour.
We also have cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, especially through the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), on bettor consumer protection, and with the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation (DRCI) of the National Justice Secretariat, on issues related to combating illicit financial flows and international cooperation in cases that may involve money laundering.
This integrated action also includes joint efforts with COAF and SNJ on money laundering prevention policies; with Anatel, which is an essential partner in blocking illegal sites; and with the Ministry of Sport, considering the relevance of the sports sector within the fixed-odds betting ecosystem.
This is why the secretariat has invested in institutional cooperation with different actors. There are important partnerships with Conar, which contributes to a deeper understanding of advertising practices in the sector, and with the Digital Council, which acts on monitoring and removing irregular advertising associated with illegal operators on social networks.
Regulating this market requires exactly that: institutional coordination, information exchange and joint action. This set of partnerships has been fundamental to expand monitoring, inspection and bettor consumer protection capabilities.
Are there policies or projects that you intend to accelerate in this new phase?
It is important to remember that I am acting as substitute secretary while also holding the position of deputy secretary. The secretariat’s actions follow the Regulatory Agenda, which is a fundamental instrument for transparency in the regulator’s work. The 2026–2027 agenda was built precisely to provide predictability to the sector on which topics will be addressed in the coming cycles.
Among these topics are deepening responsible gambling policies, including the development of technological tools that allow the bettor consumer to visualise and monitor their own betting behaviour.
Advances are also planned in reviewing rules related to advertising by affiliates on internet applications, refining monitoring and inspection instruments, and reviewing mechanisms related to interrupting financial flows intended for unauthorised operators.
These initiatives run parallel to expanding the secretariat’s institutional partnerships that I have already mentioned, which today include cooperation with Anatel, Ministry of Justice, various secretariats, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Sport, Conar, Digital Council and Febraban, precisely to expand monitoring, inspection and bettor consumer protection capabilities.
How do you assess the current stage of betting regulation in Brazil? Is the timetable on track?
Brazil has already overcome the most intense phase of initial structuring and has now entered a stage of regulatory refinement. The first regulatory agenda was responsible for structuring the normative base necessary for the regulated market to operate. With the authorised market coming into effect on January 1, 2025, practical experience has begun to guide new adjustments. This process has also been more precisely monitored since the first-year regulation balance disclosed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting itself, which allowed for a better understanding of market operations. Today, we have 83 authorised companies, around 25.2 million Brazilians who placed bets throughout 2025, as well as important indicators to understand the size and behaviour of this market.
The current regulatory agenda looks precisely at this accumulated experience and proposes reviews and new instruments to track the sector’s evolution. This concrete data also helps guide the regulator’s actions, including improving monitoring and inspection tools. Over this period, for example, more than 29,000 illegal sites have been blocked, and the Centralised Self-Exclusion Platform has already recorded more than 377,000 self-blocking requests made by bettor consumers.
Furthermore, the secretariat has begun to act in a more integrated manner with other state bodies and entities of the digital ecosystem itself, which strengthens the institutional capacity for sector supervision.
In general, therefore, the timetable has advanced consistently, and the focus now is to deepen the quality of regulation and strengthen inspection and bettor consumer protection instruments.
Is Brazil technologically prepared to monitor a large-scale betting market?
Brazil has been building this capacity progressively and concretely. The numbers from the first year of the regulated market show that a relevant monitoring and inspection structure is already operational.
Today, we have 83 authorised companies operating in the regulated market. Over the first year, more than 29,000 illegal sites were blocked in partnership with Anatel. The Subsecretariat of Monitoring and Inspection recorded 132 proceedings involving 133 operators, with 80 in process for penalty application.
On the financial axis, 54 financial and payment institutions forwarded 1,255 communications to the secretariat involving 1,687 people, with indications of transfers to unauthorised operators. This resulted in the closure of 550 bank accounts, 265 of which were already identified as illegal.
In addition, the Centralised Self-Exclusion Platform already records more than 377,000 self-blocking requests made by bettor consumers.
These numbers show that the technological and institutional monitoring infrastructure is already operational and is being strengthened through cooperation with the different public institutions and digital ecosystem entities I mentioned above.
Where do you see the Brazilian betting market in the next three to five years?
The trend is towards a more mature, more professionalised market with increasingly consolidated regulatory standards. As monitoring, inspection, blocking of illegal operators and tracking of financial transactions advance, the space for clandestine operations tends to diminish, strengthening the regulated environment.
At the same time, authorised operators will operate in an environment of greater regulatory predictability, but also greater demand for compliance with the legal and sub-legal norms that make up the fixed-odds betting regulatory framework in the country, established by Law No. 14.790/2023. This model provides, among other aspects, mechanisms for monitoring bets and reporting suspicious operations to competent authorities for money laundering prevention purposes.
We should also observe important advances in responsible gambling policies and discipline in sector advertising. Brazilian legislation already sets clear limits on betting commercial communication, including restrictions on misleading messages or those associating gambling with promises of easy winnings or financial solutions. In this context, the regulatory debate has deepened particularly regarding the activities of affiliates and digital influencers.
Furthermore, improving money laundering prevention and market integrity instruments will continue to be a central axis of regulatory action.
As I have highlighted at sector events, the development of this market needs to occur sustainably, with operators committed to complying with the rules and protecting the bettor consumer. This is the path for the regulated market to consolidate in Brazil responsibly, transparently and aligned with international best practices.
You have been with the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting from the beginning, so how does this experience help in the new role at the SPA?
Before temporarily taking over as secretary, I was already acting as deputy secretary of the SPA and worked in the Coordination of Responsible Gambling Monitoring, directly linked to the secretariat’s office.
This experience allows close monitoring of the implementation of the main bettor consumer protection tools and understanding how regulation translates into practice.
Having participated in this process helps to ensure continuity of the work with technical knowledge and the secretariat’s institutional memory.
What are the challenges for Brazil’s regulated market in 2026?
The main challenge for 2026 is to deepen the effectiveness of the regulatory model that is already in operation. This involves advancing in reducing the space occupied by the illegal market, improving mechanisms for interrupting financial flows intended for unauthorised operators and strengthening advertising discipline — especially regarding the activities of affiliates and digital influencers.
It will also be fundamental to expand and improve responsible gambling tools aimed at bettor consumer protection, as well as strengthening sector integrity mechanisms, including money laundering prevention and combating measures.
This set of actions is essential to consolidate a safer, more transparent and responsible regulated environment, in which authorised operators act in compliance with the rules and the market can develop sustainably.
It will also be important to continue improving the monitoring, inspection and sanctioning instruments provided for in the ordinances issued by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, to ensure greater efficiency in market monitoring and compliance with the rules by authorised operators.
Another important point is to expand institutional cooperation with different actors that help monitor the digital environment, as has already been happening with Anatel, Conar and the Digital Council, to strengthen the state’s capacity to act in the face of a highly digitalised market.
In summary, the challenge is to consolidate an increasingly safe, transparent and responsible regulated environment, in which authorised operators act in compliance with the rules and the bettor consumer is adequately protected.
“The main challenge for 2026 is to deepen the effectiveness of the regulatory model that is already in operation.”
Daniele Correa Cardoso, secretary of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) – Ministry of Finance of Brazil.
The illegal market still moves large amounts in Brazil. How is the SPA working to block these sites operating clandestinely in the country?
The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting’s actions take place in an integrated manner and on different fronts. One of them is blocking illegal sites in cooperation with the National Telecommunications Agency, which has already resulted in more than 29,000 blocks since the beginning of the regulated market implementation.
Another important front involves monitoring financial flows intended for unauthorised operators. In this area, the Secretariat acts in coordination with financial institutions and payment service providers to identify and interrupt transactions related to platforms operating outside Brazilian regulation.
There is also a front focused on the advertising and digital environment; we have expanded actions in the digital environment through cooperation with entities such as the National Council of Self-Regulation in Advertising (Conar) and the Digital Council, which contribute to identifying and removing irregular advertising associated with clandestine operators on digital platforms.
The aim of these actions is to progressively reduce the illegal market’s room for manoeuvre and ensure that the bettor consumer finds an increasingly safe, transparent and regulated environment for placing bets.
