Brazil betting regulator awards full licences to another 21 operators

Just 14 Brazil betting companies received full licences from the SPA ahead of the legal betting market launch on 1 January, while another 52 companies were provided provisional licences as operators awaited final approvals and technical certifications to submit to the SPA.

Those handed provisional licences were able to operate as normal in Brazil for an initial 30-day window which closed on 30 January. That period could be extended for an additional 30 days if companies were to receive the necessary support from certifying entities but still required additional time to meet regulatory requirements.

Since the first round of licences was awarded, a number of previously excluded companies were granted provisional authorisation. Additionally, seven companies received permission to operate in the market on a preliminary basis thanks to court orders.

Now, the tally of full licensees stands at 35 with the latest flurry announced in the Official Gazette of the Union today. These cover a total of 173 brands authorised to operate in the market.

List of full betting licences growing in Brazil

The new full licences feature big names, too, with international giants like Kaizen Gaming-owned Betano and Bet365 included, as well as local brands such as Aposta Ganha and Betsul.

The list of new licensees is as follows:

Of the 21 companies to receive full licences today, 20 previously had provisional authorisation. Betsson was awarded a provisional licence on 31 December, but was not included in the latest list of full licensees.

A spokesperson for the company told iGB it has until the end of February 2025 to submit the necessary technical certification to receive full authorisation.

“We are in the final stages of this process and expect to submit the certification in the coming days,” the spokesperson said.

The additional licence was handed to Nexus International and its Megaposta brands. The licence will run until 11 February 2030, while all other full licensees will see their current authorisation period end on 31 December 2029.

The number of companies authorised to operate via either full or provisional licences in Brazil is 69, while 34 remain on a provisional licence. Authorised operators have paid BRL 2.1 billion (£293.9 million/ $364.6 million) in licence fees. Two of the applicants applied and paid for two licences each.

Issues with licences in Brazil

KTO was one of the 14 operators to achieve full authorisation prior to the market’s launch. Its founder and CEO Andreas Bardun told iGB in January the operator has faced challenges and difficulties in the licensing process.

“It was very stressful, I would say,” Bardun said at the time. “It wasn’t the most organised licensing process.

“But I do have some understanding because this is something completely new for the Brazilian government. And to be fair to them, they were working all Christmas and New Year’s Eve to help all the operators.”

In response to the delays surrounding certifications, the SPA published a new regulation (Normative Instruction No 3/2025) on 14 January which temporarily resolved setbacks by standardising the certification process.

Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/licensing/brazil-betting-regulator-new-licences/