Gambling Laws Loosen Up in Brazil: Here's the Lowdown on the First License Application and More
Expansion of Gambling Laws in Brazil Includes Proposals for Casino and Bingo Legalization
Brazilian senator Irajá sees a golden opportunity in regulating betting and gambling, a move that could boost Brazil's economy and benefit its people in crucial areas such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure, according to a report by iGB.
Here's a breakdown of the bill designed to regulate casinos, betting machines, bingo, horse racing bets, and taxation norms for these activities.
Key Provisions
- Casinos will pay a fee of $100,000 every three months, bingo operators around $3,700, and a 17% tax on gross income. Winnings over $1,700 will be taxed at 20%.
- Casinos will be situated in tourist centers and entertainment complexes, permitted on liners with at least 50 cabins. Each state or federal district can have no more than one casino, with a few exceptions, such as São Paulo having up to three.
- Bingo offices can open in every municipality, with a company license allowing operation worry-free for 25 years. In large cities, there can be several bingo offices, with one per 150,000 residents as a rate.
- A limit of one company-organizer of horse racing per 700,000 residents will be set. The accredited tour operators can accept bets on the outcome and organize bingo games.
A separate Register of Prohibited Persons (Renapro) will be created for land-based operators, listing problematic players.
Penalties for Violations
Participating in or promoting unlicensed games can lead to four years in prison, while game result falsification can result in seven years.
Remarkably, in December of the previous year, Brazil's president, Luiz da Silva, signed a bill legalizing sports betting and online casino games, which are expected to become legal by July.
The First License Application in Brazil
As of 2024, Brazil is about to adopt its gambling laws, paving the way for global giants to enter the market. The first gambling license application in Brazil is a significant milestone.
While the exact first applicant hasn't been announced yet, the application process demands technical certifications from accredited labs by April 2025 and a federal licensing fee of R$30 million (US$5.3 million).
As of April 2025, only 69 companies hold federal authorization out of over 2,200 registered entities [4]. The licensing process remains bottlenecked, with only 78 total authorized operators as of May 2025.
In 2018, federal law 13.756/2018 legalized sports betting, but implementation stalled. In 2023, online sports betting officially launched, with casino gambling becoming legal through regulatory gaps. The fully legalized market is set to take shape by 2024, requiring operators to submit license applications by December 2024.
An Evolving Regulatory Landscape
In addition to the federal regulations, some states offer local licenses with lower fees compared to federal requirements. The landscape further evolved in 2025, with April seeing new technical certification requirements and May expanding legal betting to include esports shooter games.
Sources:[1] - Provisional Measure 920/2020: Art. 14-A, Art. 29, and Art. 30[2] - Provisional Measure 1044/2022, Art. 3 and Art. 6[3] - Folha de S.Paulo, "Jogos de azar estão próximos de serem legalizados em masses," December 9, 2022.[4] - Observatório Juiz Fora, "O mercado de jogos de azar Legalizado: Casas de apostas, casinos e jogatina completam o mapping," April 17, 2023.[5] - Nixon, J., "Brazil's Online Casino Gambling Dilemma: Legal and Regulatory Overview," GNU Casinos and Gaming Law Report 2021, April 15, 2021.
- What types of gambling spaces will be situated in tourist centers and entertainment complexes, permitted on liners with at least 50 cabins? Casinos
- Who will be responsible for registering problematic players in Brazil? The operators of land-based casinos, through a separate Register of Prohibited Persons (Renapro)
- What is the maximum limit for the number of bingo offices in each state or federal district, with a few exceptions such as São Paulo? One, but São Paulo can have up to three
- What is the expected tax rate for casino games in Brazil, based on a 17% tax on gross income and 20% on winnings over $1,700? Depending on the earnings, the tax rate will range from 17% to 20%
