Google lifts ban on gambling apps in Brazil
The search giant will allow licensed gambling operators to list apps in the Play Store.
Brazil.- Google has confirmed that it has removed its restriction on gambling apps in Brazil. It will now allow operators with Brazilian gambling licences to offer apps in the Play Store for Android devices. The move applies to lottery, horse racing, betting tips and daily fantasy games.
The update comes more than six months after the launch of Brazil’s regulated online gambling market at the start of January. The search giant has stressed that to list gambling apps in the Play store in Brazil, operators must have a licence from the federal gambling regulator, the SPA.
Google has come up against gambling regulators in various countries since rolling out real-money gambling apps in the Play Store in 2021. Google initially said it would allow real-money gambling apps in the store in Brazil before regulation was introduced, but Google rowed back around a year ago, stating that it had come up against difficulties in developing a system that was safe and effective for use in jurisdictions without regulation.
Apple has yet to make the same change in the iOS App store.
Proposed new rules for gambling promotion
Earlier this month, the Senate’s Inquiry Commission (CPI) on online gambling proposed a series of new measures following its hearings on the new market for regulated online sports betting in Brazil. Senators made 16 recommendations, including proposals for tighter restrictions on advertising and marketing.
The CPI proposes that the government explicitly ban online casino-style games, arguing that they have “exclusively harmful characteristics.” It also proposes a series of new advertising and marketing restrictions, including a ban on gambling ads during prime-time television and restrictions on welcome bonuses and “deceptive” promotional offers. It also calls for mandatory age and financial eligibility checks for players.
Meanwhile, finance minister Fernando Haddad has signed off on a provisional measure to increase gambling tax in Brazil from 12 to 18 per cent of gross gaming revenue (GGR). The measure was adopted as the most politically acceptable option to balance the federal budget. industry groups that warned that the move means the effective tax burden could surpass 50 per cent.
