Brazil’s SPA Opens Public Consultation on Betting Licensing Rules as Transparency Task Force Forms and Illegal Operations Face Crackdown

Key Takeaways

• Public Consultation Notice No. 3/2026: SPA seeks input to revise authorisation procedures based on lessons from the first licensing cycle under Ordinance 827/2024, with submissions open from 27 July to 9 September.
• Transparency Measures: Administrative Order No. 2,126 creates a 15-member task force to review and publish over 25,000 licensing documents after redacting sensitive data, with a 120-day operational window.
• Enforcement Data Points: Authorities have blocked 56,000 illegal betting sites, authorised 85 operators, registered nearly 1 million self-exclusions, and frozen BRL951.1 million ($190.22 million) in a recent Federal Police operation.
• Court Coordination: Supreme Court meetings with Finance Minister Dario Durigan address pending cases including ADI 7721, 7723, 7749, and others on consumer protection, advertising, and municipal licensing authority.

Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) published Public Consultation Notice No. 3/2026 on Wednesday to gather contributions for updating betting licensing regulations. The move follows delays from the original timeline set in the SPA Regulatory Agenda under Ordinance No. 817 from April 2025. It targets improvements to the authorisation process outlined in SPA/MF Ordinance No. 827/2024, incorporating operational lessons from the initial round of approvals.

The 45-day consultation runs from 27 July to 9 September via the Portal Brasil Participativo, requiring a gov.br login. Any individual or legal entity can submit feedback. The SPA will then review inputs under Article 31 of Decree No. 12,002/2024 before preparing a new decree on sports betting and online gaming authorisations.

Refining Authorisation Procedures with First-Cycle Insights

The consultation focuses on streamlining the authorisation request procedure. SPA intends to embed practical experience gained since Ordinance 827/2024 took effect, which first detailed rules and conditions for obtaining betting operation approvals.

This review arrives later than the first-quarter timeline anticipated in the 2025 regulatory agenda. The delay coincides with broader governmental emphasis on learning from implementation challenges in Brazil’s maturing betting framework.

As reported by iGaming Business, the SPA will use the process to revise rules for authorising the operation of bets across sports betting and online games. This step signals a deliberate effort to address frictions observed in the inaugural licensing wave.

Advancing Transparency via Task Force and Document Disclosure

Parallel to the consultation, the Ministry of Finance issued Administrative Order No. 2,126 on 17 July 2026. It establishes a 15-member task force to analyse, anonymise, and redact sensitive information in licensing proceedings before public release.

Finance Minister Dario Durigan announced in June that over 25,000 documents related to betting licensing would be published. He described the shift as aligning with the government’s transparency commitments, reversing an earlier stance on confidentiality for up to 100 years.

According to iGaming Business coverage, the task force operates for 120 days under the SPA’s Authorisation Undersecretariat. A consolidated report will follow, with disclosures scheduled after the 4 October and 25 October elections. As Durigan stated, “My commitment — like President Lula’s — is a commitment to transparency. This is not a government of secrecy; it is not a government that intends to hoard information or withhold it from the public.”

The consultation will help shape an ordinance establishing rules for fixed-odds betting authorisation, reinforcing the procedural focus.

Institutional Alignment on Combating Illegal Betting

The licensing review occurs alongside heightened coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Supreme Federal Court (STF). On 15 July, Justice Edson Fachin met with Dario Durigan to discuss illegal platforms, regulatory improvements, and pending court cases.

Durigan presented data showing 56,000 illegal betting sites, apps, and platforms blocked. The regulated market includes 85 authorised operators, with nearly 1 million self-exclusion registrations. He requested STF support for decisions limiting municipal authorisations and preventing states from issuing national licenses.

Fachin indicated trials on betting-related lawsuits will advance in the second half of the year. When examining these matters, the Supreme Court will certainly take into account everything already gathered in the case records and during public hearings, as well as the entire debate that will take place in the Plenary.

Pending actions include Direct Unconstitutionality Actions ADI 7721, 7723, and 7749 before Justice Luiz Fux, covering consumer protection, mental health, social benefits, advertising to minors, and regulatory adequacy. Earlier precautionary measures in November 2024 suspended certain registrations and ads. Additional cases examine municipal authority, geolocation requirements, and advertising restrictions.

Recent Enforcement Action Highlights Zero-Tolerance Stance

Federal Police executed Operation Slots with SPA technical support, targeting money laundering tied to drug trafficking via illegal betting platforms. Assets and funds up to BRL951.1 million ($190.22 million) were frozen, alongside seizures of property and vehicles.

This marked the third such operation in July. Investigations revealed use of digital influencers, shell companies, and counterfeit Sigap and Conar symbols to feign legitimacy. Fourteen search warrants and two arrest warrants spanned multiple states.

Dario Durigan reinforced “zero tolerance” toward illegal sites. The actions align with joint efforts involving the Federal Police to prevent access by social programme beneficiaries and monitor user indebtedness.

What Combined Coverage Underemphasizes

The reports from iGaming Business and World Casino News detail procedural steps, data points, and enforcement metrics. Yet they devote less attention to the practical barriers this layered regulatory activity may create for smaller operators seeking entry.

From an advisory perspective, the extended 120-day task force timeline, post-election disclosures, and parallel court proceedings could extend uncertainty. Client-partners evaluating Brazil must weigh how revised licensing might raise compliance costs even as it aims to reduce barriers. This dynamic risks accelerating consolidation toward larger, better-resourced groups capable of navigating the evolving requirements.

Implications for Market Entry and Consolidation

This consultation and accompanying transparency measures represent a structural shift in Brazil’s betting regime. By integrating first-cycle lessons with institutional coordination against illegal activity, regulators seek to build a more accountable framework.

Operators and investors should monitor how submissions shape the final decree, particularly around authorisation efficiency and data protection standards. The emphasis on monitoring betting volumes and user impacts may inform future adjustments to advertising and protection rules.

The open question remains whether these steps will meaningfully lower entry hurdles or inadvertently favour incumbents amid ongoing litigation. For those navigating LATAM expansion, early engagement in the consultation offers a channel to shape outcomes. SCCG continues to support client-partners assessing these developments through targeted market entry strategies.

Learn more about our LATAM advisory services.