Brazil and the challenge of governing the betting market: regulation, trust, and future

SBC Summit Rio 2026 became a privileged space for the exchange of ideas among regulators, operators, and gaming and betting industry specialists. During the event, conversations were not limited to global sector trends but also delved into the specific reality of Brazil, a market undergoing a stage of transformation and regulatory consolidation.

In this context, dialogue with different ecosystem players provided firsthand insight into how the sector is evolving in the country, what challenges the regulatory process faces, and what opportunities are opening up for the development of a more transparent, competitive, and sustainable industry in the region.

Since January 2025, Brazil has entered a new stage for its sports betting and online gaming market. With the implementation of the regulated framework under the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting of the Ministry of Finance, the country began to organize a sector that already had massive scale but until now operated with an incomplete institutional framework.

More than the emergence of a new phenomenon, what is consolidating is a process of maturation. For years, the growth of digital gaming was driven by the expansion of smartphone use and electronic payment methods, with operators offering services from abroad and limited local oversight. Regulation does not create the market: it recognizes it, structures it, and sets clear rules.

The first change is legal. Only authorized platforms that meet technical, financial, and integrity requirements can operate. Mandatory user identification through CPF, the requirement of specific “.bet.br” domains, and permanent reporting systems aim to reduce the opacity that characterized the previous stage. The goal is to generate predictability, both for consumers and for the State itself.

The second axis is responsible gaming, understood as public policy. The regulations incorporate behavioral monitoring mechanisms, operational limits, and controls to prevent underage access. These are no longer voluntary commitments but verifiable obligations. In a digital environment where immediacy is the rule, introducing pauses, alerts, and monitoring is not a technical detail—it is a clear signal of focus.

The third dimension is technological. Transaction traceability and cooperation with oversight bodies to prevent money laundering place supervision in the digital realm. In a country of continental scale and high internet penetration, oversight must also be proportional in capacity and sophistication.

On the economic front, formalization means transforming a widespread activity into an organized source of revenue and specialized employment. Tax predictability and compliance requirements can help consolidate a more stable ecosystem, although balancing commercial dynamism with regulatory prudence will remain delicate.

None of this eliminates challenges. Unauthorized offerings persist, as do debates over commercial communication and advertising limits. We are facing an “open agenda.” In that sense, the process is far from complete.

Ultimately, Brazil has chosen to address the phenomenon through institutionalization. It is not just about allowing or prohibiting, but about governing. And that is where the true dimension of change lies.

The real test for Brazil’s betting market will not be how much it grows, but how much trust it manages to build in the coming years. The underlying question is whether that growth can be consolidated into a sustainable governance model, capable of balancing innovation, revenue, and social protection.

*Federico Rodríguez Aguiar is a marketing analyst with more than 35 years of experience in the gaming industry in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has held senior regulatory positions and served as a judge at international industry events. He currently works as an independent columnist, analyzing trends and regulations.