Government releases list of betting sites allowed to operate in Brazil; find out which ones they are

The list of all online betting companies, popularly known as 'bets', which may operate in Brazil with the consent of the Ministry of Finance. In all, 192 sites linked to 89 companies are allowed to operate in the country until December. Find out more.

Anatel must overturn irregular bets

The list released by the ministry includes the name of the companies' corporate name, as well as the brands and their corresponding websites. With the abundance of bets on the Brazilian market, the government reinforces that bettors have a period of up to October 10 to withdraw the amounts available on websites that, at least for now, are illegal.

With the definition of the houses allowed to operate, Anatel should progressively take offline the betting sites that are not among the authorized ones. According to a report in Folha de São Paulo, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, estimates that around 500 to 600 sites will be discontinued by the regulatory company.

This measure may be reversed if the companies are approved in the final list, being included in the list of companies with permission to operate. Some irregular betting companies have already announced that they are in the process of adapting to continue operating, such as Esportes da Sorte.

Requirements for Bets to operate in Brazil

The operation of betting houses in Brazil It has been happening since the end of 2018, when the government of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), authorized these companies to enter the Brazilian market, through Law No. 13.756/2018. However, the government at the time did not regulate the activity, which is causing repercussions under the current government, Squid (PT), which since last year has becomeimpose taxes and apply rules for betting operations in the country.

A law passed in Congress last year (Law No. 14.790/2023) with a series of acts by the Ministry of Finance, requires companies that want to operate legally to register with the ministry, with the aim of suppressing the practice of money laundering. The legal market, duly regulated and with payment of taxes, will officially begin in January 2025.

Until then, a transition period is in effect, but on September 17, the government brought forward the deadlines through an ordinance, accelerating the companies' adaptation processes before the Ministry of Finance.

The ordinance established that, as of October 1, only sites that requested accreditation would be considered legal. The act was motivated by pressure from sectors such as banks, retail and reactions in Congress against betting.

Requirements established by the Government for the operation of betting platforms in Brazil:

• A Brazilian must be a partner in the company and hold at least 20% of the share capital.
• Prior authorization from the Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance is required;
• Transactions must occur exclusively on websites with the “.bet.br” domain, indicating that they are legal and regulated environments;
• The company must be headquartered in Brazil and be incorporated as a limited liability company (LTDA) or a public limited company (S/A);
• The company is not permitted to be a branch, subsidiary, agency or representation of a foreign legal entity in Brazil;

On Tuesday (2), the Federal Court of the Federal District, in a preliminary (temporary) decision, authorized online sports betting houses accredited in Rio de Janeiro to continue operating throughout Brazil. The measure suspends, for example, the effects of the ordinance of the 17th for companies that are in the process of accreditation in Rio.

From October to December, Only sites already authorized and in operation will be able to continue functioning. The Ministry of Finance informs that suspended companies may request accreditation at any time, but will be placed at the end of the queue, which may take months until their documents and requirements are evaluated.

The ministry is expected to complete its analysis of the requests already filed by December. After approval, companies will have to pay a R$30 million grant to legally operate up to three brands for five years, according to the Law 14.790 / 2023, which regulated electronic betting in Brazil.

Starting in January, companies that operate without authorization will be subject to sanctions, with fines that can reach R$ 2 billion per violation.

List of Bets allowed to operate in Brazil

Check out the list released by the federal government below with the complete list of bets authorized to operate in Brazil:

State companies released

Bets that sponsor Serie A clubs are out of the list

With the recent release of the list of regular bets, it suddenly caught the attention of bettors and football fans absence of betting houses that sponsor giant Brazilian football clubs, as in the case of Lucky Sports.

The company has advertising participation in several Serie A clubs, such as Corinthians, Grêmio, Athletico Paranaense, Bahia and Palmeiras (in women's football), in addition to the Ceará, from series B.

The house moves millions of reais in sponsorships for clubs, in addition to merchandising on the internet and on television.

Bet recently gained attention when it signed a deal with Corinthians, in July, the master sponsorship on the black and white shirt, with a contract that provides for the payment of R$ 309 million reais over three years. Due to this partnership, Timão announced in September the signing of the Dutch striker, Memphis Depay, earning the highest salary in the history of Latin American football, around 3,5 million reais per month.

If the situation is not reversed in the next few days, Esportes da Sorte will have its activities interrupted until October 11, if the government does not update the list published by the Ministry of Finance.

According to information from the UOL portal, the company believes there was a formal error and is in contact with the Prizes and Betting Secretariat to correct the situation. Esportes da Sorte claims to have complied with all the requirements of the ordinance and awaits its inclusion in the final list of authorized companies.

Other betting houses that sponsor Serie A clubs are also not on the government's list, such as the following companies: Betvip (Sport), Dafabet (Guarani), Reals (Amazonas e Coritiba) e Stake (Youth).

Impacts on advertising

The recent disclosure is also causing disruption in the television media, as at least three open TV channels – Band, Record e TV network! – fear losing a considerable percentage of revenue with the restriction on betting advertising in programming, announced by the minister Haddad, after meeting with representatives of the conar (Advertising Self-Regulation Council), open (Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters) and AIR (International Broadcasting Association). The situation was boosted after the disclosure of the movement of more than R$ 3 billion in resources paid by the Family Bag in sports betting and electronic gaming operations.

A Record TV has a lucrative partnership with Betano, operating in Brazil since 2019, as one of its five largest advertisers, with contracts for programs such as The Farm 16 and football broadcasts, which, over the last few years, have once again become the target of investments by the broadcaster.

Already executives of CHOOSE YOUR WRISTBAND and the TV network! claim that it will be challenging to keep sports broadcasting financially viable without investment from bookmakers. According to them, currently, only these companies offer the values ​​that guarantee profit from game broadcasting rights, which are essential for the continuity of the operation.

On the other hand, Globo remain cautious in light of the unpredictable betting situation, awaiting developments in the case. However, the Rio de Janeiro broadcaster also has betting houses among its advertisers. They sponsor Brasileirão games, in addition to Big Brother Brasil.

Sources: UOL, Folha de São Paulo e folhapress.

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