Brazil's Ministry of Finance Begins Licensing Process for Gambling Market Ahead of 2025 Launch

Regis Dudena, the Secretary of Prizes and Bets at the Ministry of Finance (SPA), has announced that the process of authorizing applicants for Brazil's upcoming gambling market has officially begun, ahead of its launch set for January 1, 2025.

During a session with the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI), Dudena stated, “71 companies have already been notified by the Ministry of Finance, and they have 30 days from the notification to meet these final requirements. Of these, 16 have already paid the license fee. Today, we have 16 companies that have paid a total of R$480m (US$81.1m) in licensing fees to the Ministry of Finance.”

However, these companies will not be considered officially authorized to operate until they fulfill the necessary payment obligations.

Dudena elaborated that the SPA is employing a stringent four-stage review process to ensure compliance with security protocols, payment processing standards, anti-money laundering (AML) measures, game regulations, and responsible gambling practices before any licenses are issued.

To safeguard the market prior to its launch, the SPA has entered into an agreement with the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block access to sites offering illegal gambling within the country. Since this initiative began on October 11, over 5,200 illegal gambling sites have been taken down.

Dudena remarked, "Anatel has already been a very relevant partner, since we intensified the fight against illegality. Now, with the ACT, this relationship will take place in an even more fluid and efficient way, which is a gain for the country in the challenge of remedying the betting sector from the presence of opportunistic and malicious groups."

While the complete list of the 71 authorized companies is yet to be disclosed, the Brazilian Ministry of Finance website provides the full list of applicants, which includes well-known firms such as Kaizen Gaming, Betfair, and Meridian Gaming.

Carlos Baigorri, President of Anatel, commented on the collaboration, stating, "The agreement will allow an agile flow for the processing of blocks. We know that it is a challenging task to prevent Brazilians from accessing illegal betting sites and, precisely for this reason, cooperation is essential for blocks to be carried out in the shortest possible time by telecommunications service operators. We have a duty, as a State body, to combat illicit practices, which cause competitive imbalances and disrespect our legislation."

Additionally, TaDa Gaming has confirmed that it has received certification from the Gaming Associates (GA) lab in preparation for its potential launch in Brazil, which would follow its recent expansion into Italy through a partnership with Pixelo.

By fLEXI tEAM