Brazil grants 21 new betting licenses, expanding regulated market

The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) under Brazil's Ministry of Finance published 21 definitive authorization ordinances in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, February 11, allowing 21 companies to operate fixed-odds betting. Of these, 20 companies previously held provisional authorizations, while one company received its first license. With these new approvals, the total number of companies with definitive authorization has risen to 35.

Each definitive license is valid for five years and requires an upfront grant payment of 30 million Brazilian reals ($5.2 million). This grant allows companies to operate up to three brands or betting platforms under the “.bet.br” domain.  A total of 69 companies are currently authorized by the SPA, holding either provisional or definitive licenses. 

Among the newly authorized brands are prominent international operators such as Betano, Sportingbet, Bet365, and Vbet. Other major players set to enter the Brazilian market include Betfair, PokerStars, SportyBet, Meridianbet, Novibet, and PixBet.

The introduction of this regulated market is expected to attract significant investment and could generate up to $10 billion in revenue during its first five years of operation. This move marks a major step in Brazil’s efforts to formalize and capitalize on its rapidly growing sports betting industry.