Brazil’s acting president and development minister, Geraldo Alckmin, called for stricter controls on online sports betting at the Apas Show 2025 opening in São Paulo on 12 May. He said the government had begun regulating and taxing the sector, and would take supermarket representatives’ concerns about betting to the government.
Operators may face tighter controls as Alckmin calls for stronger regulation of online sports betting.
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The president of LOTERJ, Fabíola Esteves, said modern regulation must follow the betting market's evolution while giving operators legal certainty, consumer transparency and effective bettor protection. She spoke at Rio Innovation Week, where she said the regulator's role is to build trust that supports economic development without sacrificing the public interest.
Brazil's finance ministry executive secretary, Dario Durigan, suggested regulating and taxing sports betting operators in the same way as tobacco products. Speaking at an event hosted by XP, Durigan said the government aims to reduce gambling in the country and reinforce control of licensed operators.
A deputy secretary at Brazil's Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) described the country's regulated betting environment as positive compared with the period without rules. Carlos Renato Xavier, speaking on a panel, said regulation reduces conflicts and prevents problems escalating through lack of oversight.
Cactus Gaming business superintendent Lucas Andion said discussions at BiS Brasília highlighted calls for regulation of technology suppliers in Brazil’s betting market. He argued that supplier rules and industry cooperation could strengthen compliance, monitoring and user protection.
Rio de Janeiro’s LOTERJ called for closer links between lottery regulation and public policy in a statement published on 25 May. Its president, Fabíola Esteves, said coordinated action by state and federal authorities and other institutions is needed to address illegal operations; LOTERJ also cited stronger regulatory monitoring, audits and responsible-gambling measures as priorities.