Rio de Janeiro sports betting: Loterj issues contract to Rede Loto

The state lottery operator has issued a sports betting contract to the São Paulo company.

Brazil.- The state lottery operator Loterj has issued the first sports betting contract in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. The five-year contract has been issued to Rede Loto from neighbouring São Paulo following a tender process. The licence fee is R$5m (slightly under €950,000).

Loterj had said in February that the Rio de Janeiro sports betting tender would go ahead amid ongoing delays to the approval of Brazil’s federal sports betting regulation. The tender process included an audit of technical and legal requirements, including measures for safer gambling and its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing protocols.

A non-exclusive omnichannel licence allows Rede Loto to operate retail sports betting at retail outlets and sports bars. It will pay a tax of 5 per cent on gross gaming revenue. Other companies can apply to offer sports betting in the state.

Rio de Janeiro is the third largest state in Brazil. It began to advance with its own plans to launch sports betting at the state level amid the ongoing delays in approving federal sports betting regulations in Brazil.

Loterj president Hazenclever Lopes Cançado said: “Since taking over management in July last year, I had the objective of publishing the accreditation notice for sports betting. We have achieved more than that.

“We have the first company accredited and ready to operate in our country. I appreciate the unconditional support of Governor Cláudio Castro and the secretary of the Civil House, Nicola Miccione, who believed in the project. Thank you for trusting in the work and dedication of the entire Loterj team.”

Brazil’s federal sports betting regulations are still awating the signature of President Lula da Silva. His approval was expected to come soon, but Arthur Lira, the president of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, is pushing for it to be put to the legislature.