The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of Brazil’s Ministry of Finance has formally begun work on its flagship regulatory project to establish a National Betting System (Sistema Nacional de Apostas, or Sinapo).
The project marks a critical step in the future governance of the Brazil Bets market and ensures coordinated monitoring of gambling activities in coordination with Brazil’s federal and state-level authorities.
Formed as the “Sinapo Working Group”, the group contains representatives from 17 federal agencies, including the Federal District and 16 state governments, and has begun discussions to define the minimum regulatory standards for lottery and betting operations.
The forum, held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Brasília, aims to unify protocols on authorisation, supervision, enforcement, and responsible gambling safeguards.
Speaking at the event, SPA Secretary Regis Dudena described the working group as central to Brazil’s online gambling agenda: “This initiative allows us to present the efforts we’ve led since last year, but also to benefit from the experiences and insights of state-level stakeholders.”
Dudena reaffirmed that the federal government would provide key infrastructure to participating states, including the official “.bet.br” domain and access to a centralised self-exclusion system currently under development.
Dudena was pleased to report that tax and licensing revenue from regulated betting operations reached R$3bn (approximately €520m) in the first six months of the market.
He defended the launch of the Brazil Bets framework, which although chaotic is successfully steering consumers toward regulated, tax-paying operators and away from the black market. Channelisation, he argued, is improving steadily, though the SPA must now refine its data systems to better track market developments and player behaviours.
The implementation of a national self-exclusion register is expected to be a cornerstone of Sinapo, offering players a streamlined means to restrict access to licensed gambling platforms.
According to the SPA, the platform is being designed to protect both the financial and mental wellbeing of Brazilian players and will become a mandatory tool for all market participants.
While the group’s first meetings addressed core regulatory topics, including licensing procedures and anti-money laundering measures, the roadmap ahead will define what compliance protocols must be adopted by state operators to participate in the system.
Crucially, the SPA reiterated that municipal lotteries will not be included in the system, as current Brazilian legislation does not authorise their operation. No date has yet been confirmed for the next meeting, but the SPA’s regulatory agenda targets to begin the initial implementation of Sinapo by the end of 2025.
