Brazil puts gambling safeguards at forefront of new regulations

Brazil’s gambling regulators, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), have declared several initiatives designed to protect citizens from problem gambling.

With the popularity of online gambling surging since its legalization on January 1, the SPA has anticipated the need to introduce wagering safeguards. In doing so, they announced a raft of new measures last week, including the prioritization of a national self-exclusion platform for 2025–26.

The newly constructed initiative will aim to engage with bettors who feel they are at risk of developing a gambling addiction.

As a result, Brazilian gamblers will now have an opportunity to voluntarily block themselves from the growing number of betting platforms to prevent the habit from escalating.

The initiative follows the SPA’s recent public consultation earlier this year, which accepted over 200 submissions from key stakeholders across the gambling industry.

The resulting feedback provided has since led the SPA to introduce a new 13-point agenda that will promote responsible gambling, transparency, and consumer protection.

As of June 30, the SPA will also begin releasing draft regulations at the end of every quarter. This will then act as an open public forum so the national regulator can fine-tune any future gambling legislative frameworks based on the discussions raised.

In addition to the self-exclusion arrangement, Brazil’s regulatory body will also look to tighten its rules on gambling advertising while closely monitoring betting firms’ partnerships with athletes and sports clubs.

These added measures will look to pre-emptively reduce gambling-related social issues, as well as limit exposure to Brazil’s underage citizens and other vulnerable groups.

If there was any doubt before, the latest SPA announcement means they’re poised to stamp their authority on the Brazilian gaming sector to create a safe and sustainable industry for its citizens.

Another measure the SPA is looking to introduce is a new certification seal for licensed platforms that reinforces its current “.bet.br” domain strategy. A direct consequence of this will be that Brazilian bettors will find it easier to identify legitimate licensed gambling platforms in order to avoid illegal operators who lack the same player safeguards.

Finally, the SPA has also stated that it plans to unify both state and federal regulations through a single National Betting System, which will be launched in Q4 2025.

Given that the SPA has already cracked down on a number of licensed betting operators, it demonstrates they’re prepared to stamp out non-compliance quickly in the rapidly expanding marketplace.