Online gambling in Brazil: regulator corrects list of brands that can continue operating
Four more operators have been allowed to continue operating after applying for licences for the regulated market.
Brazil.- The new Brazilian gambling regulator, the SPA, has cleared four more companies to continue operating during the transition period ahead of the launch of regulated online gambling on January 1. F12 do Brasil Jogos Eletrônicos, Lucky Gaming, Grove Eagle Gestão de Bens and B3T4 International Group have been added to the list, apparently after having been excluded by error.
The SPA had set an October 1 deadline for licence applications from operators that wished to continue operating once online gambling becomes regulated. Under Ordinance 1,475, only those companies that have submitted licence applications to continue operating between October 1 and December 31.
On October 1, the SPA had published a list of 89 operators who it said met the criteria to continue operating. They covered 193 brands, with each operator allowed three skins per licence application. However, some companies that had applied for a licence were left off the list. The SPA has now published a corrected version of the list, increasing the number of operators to 93 and the number of brands to 205.
F12 do Brasil Jogos Eletrônicos runs the brands F12.bet, Luva.bet and Brasil.bet, while Lucky Gaming runs 4play and Pagol, Grove Eagle Gestão de Bens operates Estadium, Joganho and Oten, and B3t4 operators as Bet4.
The SPA said the mistakes in the previous list were mainly a result of errors in its notification system, while one operator had needed to have its request signed by an authorised legal representative. Two other operators, Esportes da Sorte and VaideBet were still missing from the corrected list.
The regulator has also updated its list of state-regulated gaming licensees after receiving details from individual state regulators. The list now includes 18 operators, including those licensed in the states of Paraná, Maranhão, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. VaideBet is listed as regulated by the Rio de Janeiro state lottery Loterj. The Supreme Federal Court (STF) has granted Loterj a preliminary injunction allowing the brands it has licensed to continue operating beyond the SPA’s deadline at the federal level.
Final measures to prepare for regulated online gambling in Brazil
Last week, the president of Brazil, Inácio Lula da Silva, met with senior ministers in a bid to resolve concerns about the launch of regulated online gambling in Brazil. Lula met with the ministers of finance, sports, healthcare, public welfare and social development.
One of the concerns raised is that of gambling by people who receive welfare funds from the state aid program Bolsa Família. A report suggested that benefits recipients had spent BRL 3bn (€500m) on online betting platforms, according to the state-run payment system Pix.
Lula told the ministries involved to collaborate to develop controls to prohibit such welfare payments from being used for gambling. He also told the ministers to develop measures to mitigate financial risks and debt problems.
