Brazil Senate Delays Land-based Casino Bill Vote Until 2025
The Brazilian Senate on Dec. 4 again delayed a planned vote on a bill to legalize land-based casinos, bingo halls and betting on horse racing. The vote will now happen in 2025 due to ongoing uncertainty over the proposal.
Bill 2,234/2022 was approved back in June by the Chamber of Deputies’ Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Commission (CCJC) on a 14-12 vote. However, the bill, which would also legalize the lottery-type game jogo do bicho in Brazil, has suffered several setbacks.
An August vote date was missed while hopes for an October vote were also dashed. Irajá Silvestre, the senator behind the bill, last month said he hoped a vote would take place before the end of 2024.
Eduardo Girãom, one senator who opposes the bill, said that the legalization of online gambling in Brazil is already generating concerns, despite the regulated market having not yet opened. Brazil is due to launch on Jan. 1 2025.
A date has not yet been set for the next vote.
Paraguay to End Gambling Monopoly; Bill to Amend Law Partially Approved
Paraguay has taken a step towards gambling regulation reforms, including ending the market’s monopoly after a bill was partially approved on Nov. 26. The act now heads to the Senate for final approval.
In early November, the executive branch of the government presented a bill to amend the current Paraguay gambling legislation (Law No 1,016/1997), including strengthening gambling regulator Conajzar’s position. It also sought to liberalize the country’s gambling market.
The bill also seeks to place Conajzar under the government-powered National Tax Revenue Directorate (DNIT). Conajzar President Carlos Liseras has said he expects opening the gambling market to competition will enhance the sector’s tax contributions to the government.
The bill seeks to eliminate the current monopoly model and paves the way for private competitors to enter the market. It would mean commercial operators of games of chance could compete, rather than having to secure access through tender processes.
Brazil’s Aposta Ganha Eyes Leading Position in Licensed Market
Brazilian betting operator Aposta Ganha expects to take up to 10 percent market share in Brazil’s licensed betting market. The firm was among the first to secure a licence and expects to gain an early advantage.
Aposta Ganha announced on Nov. 26 its betting license had been approved by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), paving the way for the operator to enter the legal betting market in Brazil in January.
Group CCO Hugo Baungartner describes it as a “big, big step”, one that reinforces the operators’ belief that the soon-to-be regulated sector in Brazil will support and protect players and stakeholders.
“We are really happy to get this and this whole thing just comes to reconfirm that we are a group in Brazil that really believes in the market,” Baungartner told iGB.
The license approval gives Aposta Ganha a first-mover advantage in Brazil and Baungartner believes around 40 operators in total will receive authorization ahead of the legal market launch.
Over 2k Illegal Betting Sites Still Live in Brazil, Anatel Expresses Concerns
New data suggests 2,000 illegal sites are still operating in Brazil, despite telecoms regulator Anatel’s attempts to block them. Anatel President Carlos Baigorri has also warned that blocking illegal betting sites is an inefficient measure and the entity lacks sufficient resources.
Gambling regulator SPA sent details of over 5,200 domains belonging to illegal betting sites to Anatel in November as it sought to crackdown on the illegal market. Anatel was tasked with ensuring those domains were taken down, but Baigorri on Nov. 26 admitted the agency lacks the capacity to block all illegal sites.
The data on the black market was collected by Brazil industry trade body ANJL and is based on conversations it has had with its operator partners in recent days. The association’s President Plínio Lemos Jorge is calling for a robust response to IP blocking, to protect both licensed operators and players.
“Serious and legal betting sites will not be able to withstand the competition from illegal sites,” Lemos Jorge explained.
