About Brazil - Updated September 22, 2023
Brazil, the sleeping giant of the gaming world, has a population of over 215 million people, making it the 6th largest country globally, the largest in LATAM and the 10th largest economy in the world. Legalized gaming legislation has been proposed multiple times creating great excitement for global operators but conflicting interests have prevented legislative advancement.
- In 2017 Spectrum Gaming Capital estimated that casinos could generate $10B-$20B of GGR under then current proposed legislation, which means Brazil could be the world’s third largest casino market after the US and Macau
- Currently, the only form of legal betting in Brazil is lottery, but the country is set to regulate online gaming. In addition to a flourishing offshore iGaming and sports betting business, a popular numbers game called “Jogo Do Bicho” has been operated illegally throughout the country for decades.
- Efforts to establish Integrated Resorts have stalled due to competing entrenched interests with focus shifted to online gambling
- Lotteries are allowed to provide any types of games and how they proceed with versions of online sports betting and casinos games will provide a challenge to national commercial operators
Sports Betting and iGaming
- Sports betting was legalized on Dec. 12, 2018, with regulations to be developed within four yearsThe time frame expired with regulations still being debated as President Lula took office on January 1st, 2023; but the new president signed an amended bill in July, 2023.
- On September 13th Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies approved the government’s gambling bill which legalizes online casino in addition to sports betting.
- Betting on fantasy sports remains illegal due to match fixing scandals.
- The Institute of Legal Gaming estimated that ~400 off-shore operators were operating in 2022, generating $2.6b/yr in GGR from iGaming and $5.8b/yr GGR in sports betting; according to “Legal Bet”, Brazilians have spent $6.9b on off-shore betting websites in the first half of 2023.
House Bill 3,626/23 regulates online gaming and sportsbetting; the Senate is expected to respond by October 31
- $R30m license fee for 3 years (£4.9m/€5.7m/$6.1m) for a single betting app
- Foreign operators will be barred from licensing but they may be able to operate in partnership with Brazilian companies.
- Operators will be 18% GGR tax
- Bettors will pay a 30% income tax on prizes over R$ 2,100.00 (£350/€404/$438) without offset for losses
- Bonus promotions will not be allowed
- Payment rules will be established to counter grey market betting
Lottery
- Until 2020, the federal government had a monopoly on lottery through National Operator CAIXA
- Lack of clarity about lottery law also contributed to the failure of the Lotex privatization process that ran from 2016 to 2019 which initially awarded the contract to a consortium that included IGT and Scientific Games
- In 2020 the Supreme Court ended the federal monopoly on lotteries which can operate any type of game including sports betting and igaming. Currently, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Ceará, and the state of Paraná are operating some games and eleven other states are in the process of review.