Brazil Gaming License

Is online gambling legal in Brazil?

Yes. Online gambling is legal and regulated in Brazil, and the market has been live since 1 January 2025 under Lei 14.790/2023. The SPA issues federal authorizations through the SIGAP portal. Land-based casinos remain prohibited: the law covers online fixed-odds betting and online casino games only. Position as of June 2026.

Before 2025 there was no route to serve Brazilian players from a Brazilian license. Operators reached the market from offshore permits. Since 1 January 2025 an operator without an SPA authorization is an unlicensed operator in Brazil and faces domain blocking, payment refusal and fines.

Who regulates gambling in Brazil?

The Secretaria de Premios e Apostas (SPA), part of the Ministerio da Fazenda, regulates gambling in Brazil. Decreto 11.907/2024 created the SPA and transferred to it the functions previously held by Secap. The SPA runs the SIGAP portal, grants, suspends and revokes authorizations, and applies sanctions.

Federal authorization and state lottery licenses are not the same thing. The SPA authorization is valid across Brazil. A state lottery license, such as the one issued by Loterj in Rio de Janeiro, was restricted by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in January 2025 to bets placed by players physically inside the issuing state. Anyone offering a state license as a national route is describing a product that no longer exists.

What does the Brazil gaming license cover?

One Brazil gaming license covers fixed-odds sports betting (apostas de quota fixa) and online casino games under a single federal authorization. That includes live dealer and RNG games, in-play betting, virtual sports and crash games. Land-based casinos are not covered and remain prohibited in Brazil.

Covered by the authorization:

• Fixed-odds sports betting, including in-play markets.

• Online casino games: slots, table games, live dealer and RNG titles.

• Virtual sports and crash games.

• Online bingo, according to part of the source base. Confirm scope with the SPA before launch.

Not covered by the authorization:

• Land-based casinos, which remain prohibited in Brazil.

• Prediction markets and event derivatives. CMN Resolution 5.298 took effect on 4 May 2026 and bans derivative contracts that reference sporting, political or entertainment events. The SPA treats these products as fixed-odds betting under Lei 14.790/2023.

All licensed activity runs on a .bet.br domain. No other domain is permitted for a Brazilian licensee.

What types of Brazil gambling licenses are there?

Brazil issues one federal authorization, not separate sportsbook and casino licenses. A single SPA authorization covers both verticals. Two other terms circulate: provisional authorization, a 2024 transition mechanism, and state lottery licenses, which the STF limited in January 2025 to players inside the issuing state.

Provisional authorization was a transitional step for operators already in the 2024 application queue. It is not a license class an applicant can choose today.

Some advisers describe the regime as B2C and B2B licenses. No separate federal B2B supplier authorization was in force as of June 2026, although a draft regime is well advanced. Until it takes effect, the authorized operator carries full regulatory liability for every platform, game and content supplier on its system.

Requirements for a Brazil gaming license

To hold a Brazil gaming license an operator needs a Brazilian company with a CNPJ, at least 20% Brazilian shareholding, R$30 million in capital and net worth, a R$5 million financial guarantee, a certified platform, and full AML, KYC and responsible gaming frameworks. The four groups below set out each requirement.

Corporate and ownership requirements

The license holder must be a company incorporated in Brazil and registered with a CNPJ. At least 20% of the share capital must be held by a Brazilian shareholder, either an individual or a Brazilian company. This is the 20% Brazilian ownership requirement, and it applies to every authorized operator.

Finding a Brazilian shareholder who passes probity checks, and structuring the shareholders agreement so that foreign control of the business is preserved, takes legal work. Operators who leave it to the end of the process lose months.

Financial requirements

Three separate amounts apply, and operators regularly merge them into one number:

• Grant fee (outorga): R$30 million, paid once after approval.

• Minimum capital and net worth: R$30 million, held inside the Brazilian company.

• Financial guarantee: R$5 million.

The grant fee is a payment to the state. The other two are amounts the company must hold and evidence. Together they put the capital requirement well above the headline fee.

Technical, compliance and player-protection requirements

Platform and systems certification by an accredited laboratory. Biometric KYC using Face Match, required by Ordinance SPA/MF 722/2024 and tied to the player's CPF. AML and KYC controls with COAF reporting. A responsible gaming programme. Servers located in Brazil. Real-time reporting to SIGAP. Player geolocation.

Documents required

The SPA reviews the corporate and KYB file: incorporation documents, proof of the 20% Brazilian shareholding, tax and labour compliance certificates, financial statements, evidence of capital and net worth, criminal record and reputation checks on directors and ultimate beneficial owners, system security protocols, and the responsible gaming and AML policies.

What taxes apply to a Brazil gaming license?

Operators pay a GGR tax of 12% as the base rate under Lei 14.790/2023, rising to 13% in 2026, 14% in 2027 and 15% in 2028 under Complementary Law 224/2025, sanctioned on 26 December 2025. Corporate taxes apply on top. Players pay 15% income tax on net annual winnings above R$28,467.20.

Three proposals circulate that are not law. An 18% GGR rate proposed in 2025 and a 24% rate were both rejected. CIDE-Bets is a separate proposal to charge 15% on player transfers to betting platforms, and the Chamber of Deputies removed it from the Anti-Gang Bill. CIDE-Bets is not the GGR levy and is not in force. Model the rates set by Lei 14.790/2023 and Complementary Law 224/2025.

How does Brazil compare with other gaming licenses?

Brazil is the most expensive and most heavily taxed of the four routes below, and the only one that gives direct access to a national market of more than 200 million people. Curacao and Anjouan are offshore permits with no local ownership rule. Malta is the EU-regulated option.

Figures for Curacao, Anjouan and Malta are taken from the MGL jurisdiction pages: Curacao gaming license, Anjouan gaming license, Malta gaming license. Compare every route on the gambling license hub.

Why get a Brazil gaming license?

Brazil is one of the largest regulated betting markets in the world, with more than 200 million people and one authorization covering both sports betting and online casino. Gross gaming revenue reached about R$37 billion in 2025, the market's first regulated year, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to lift turnover further.

• Scale. Regulus Partners ranks Brazil the fifth largest betting market in the world, behind the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and Italy.

• Proven demand. About 25.2 million Brazilians placed bets in 2025, and the Receita Federal collected close to R$10 billion in tax from the licensed sector that year.

• One authorization, two verticals. Sports betting and online casino are filed once, not twice, and no second grant fee applies.

• Event-driven demand. Regulus Partners puts Brazilian turnover on the 2026 FIFA World Cup at around R$19 billion, roughly 10% of global World Cup betting volume.

• A supervised market. Licensed operators benefit from active enforcement against unlicensed competitors: domain blocking, payment refusal and fines.

• Banking and payments that work. Pix reaches almost every adult in Brazil, and licensed operators can plug into it directly.

Market figures in this section come from third-party sources, not from MGL data.

What are the disadvantages of a Brazil gaming license?

Brazil is expensive, slow and heavily supervised. The grant fee is R$30 million for up to three brands, GGR tax rises from 12% to 15% by 2028, the operator needs a Brazilian company with a Brazilian shareholder, and the market is already crowded. Operators without capital should look elsewhere.

• Cost. R$30 million grant fee for up to three brands, plus R$30 million in capital and net worth and a R$5 million guarantee.

• Rising tax. GGR tax moves 12% to 13% to 14% to 15% by 2028 under Complementary Law 224/2025, and the government continues to seek a further betting surtax.

• Structural constraints. A Brazilian company is mandatory, and at least 20% of the capital must sit with a Brazilian shareholder.

• Operational load. Biometric KYC, servers in Brazil, real-time SIGAP reporting and continuous COAF reporting.

• Enforcement exposure. Domain blocking, Pix payment refusal, and fines of 0.1% to 20% of revenue capped at R$2 billion under Lei 14.790/2023.

• Market saturation. The SPA authorized list showed around 78 licensed operator groups running more than 180 .bet.br brands as of June 2026, so the land grab is over.

• Advertising pressure. Rules on gambling advertising continue to tighten.

• Product limits. Only the .bet.br domain is permitted, land-based casinos remain prohibited, and prediction markets are banned under CMN Resolution 5.298.

Why choose MGL Solutions for a Brazil gaming license?

MGL Solutions has obtained 300 or more licenses across dozens of jurisdictions. On Brazil we run the authorization end to end: the Brazilian company and the 20% ownership structure, the document package and compliance frameworks, the SIGAP filing, certification coordination, and support after the authorization is issued.

• Company formation and ownership structuring. We incorporate the Brazilian entity, obtain the CNPJ, and structure the 20% Brazilian shareholding so that your control of the business is preserved.

• Document package and compliance frameworks. We prepare the AML, KYC and responsible gaming policies, the business plan and the capital evidence the SPA reviews.

• Certification coordination. We manage the accredited laboratory process for the platform and RNG, and the preparation for SIGAP integration.

• Filing and review. We submit through SIGAP and handle every SPA request during the review.

• After the authorization. We keep the reporting calendar, the COAF obligations and the renewal timetable on track.

Brazil rewards operators who arrive prepared. Tell us your capital position, your platform certification status and your target launch date, and we will tell you what the SPA will ask for and how long your case realistically takes.