Brazil’s Sport Commission to Discuss Bill Banning Betting Ads
Brazil’s Sports Commission said that March 12 it would be discussing a bill banning fixed-odds betting advertising in Brazil.
The bill, authored by Senator Styvenson Valentim, would amend Article 33 of Law No 13,756/2018. That law brought forward regulation on fixed-odds sports betting in Brazil. The bill would ban gambling ads across all channels and mediums.
Senator Valentim said the legislator was looking for the ban on gambling advertisements as it is their view that companies are disregarding restrictions on marketing, particularly towards younger people.
“This proposal is justified in view of the sudden change in the profile of bettors, which is now mostly made up of young people, who have at their disposal, 24 hours a day, with just one click, the possibility of placing bets without any barrier to impulsive behavior,” Valentim said.
Luckia Colombia to Give Back VAT Deposit Tax in Bonuses
Luckia Colombia will return player-paid value-added tax (VAT) on deposits submitted to the operator back in the form of promotional bonuses.
A 19 percent VAT on of every deposit made with Colombian licensed operators came into force February 22.
Lina Gallego, Luckia’s country manager in Colombia, told the Colombian media that the company would be assuming the impact of taxes and return them to the players.
The VAT measure was first suggested last year, but attempts to introduce it were stopped in December. The government reintroduced it on February 12 with emergency legislation issued in an updated bill, (Decree No 0175), that had previously eliminated online gambling’s VAT exemption.
Last month, Stake’s Colombia business said it would give players back the 19 percent VAT on deposits placed with it as part of a promotional scheme to counteract the new tax.
Inspired Expands RSI Partnership to South America
U.S. B2B gaming content provider Inspired Entertainment expanded its Rush Street Interactive on March 10, bringing content to three South American nations.
Inspired Entertainment’s iGaming content will launch on Rush Street Interactive’s RushBet platforms in Mexico, Colombia and Peru.
“These new market launches reflect the success of our previous initiatives with Rush Street Interactive and we are excited about the potential ahead,” Inspired Entertainment CEO Brooks Pierce said in a press release.
Inspired Entertainment’s gaming content is also being expanded into Delaware. This follows the group’s launches in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
LatAm Q4 Round-Up: Operators Position Themselves for Brazil Market Launch
With the majority of gambling companies having published their Q4 results, iGB has analyzed operator performance in the region and their upcoming strategies.
Operators battled for position ahead of the legal Brazil betting market launch on January 1. Flutter, which last year agreed to acquire an initial 56 percent stake in NSX Group, operator of the Brazil-facing Betnacional brand, reported constant currency revenue growth of 19 percent in the market over Q4 2024.
Entain, meanwhile, reported year-on-year revenue growth of 41 percent in Brazil across 2024, though CFO Rob Wood warned that growth will likely level out in 2025 as the market adapts to the new regulations.
Betsson’s largest growth market in 2024 was LatAm, with growth in Argentina, Colombia and Peru powering it to Q4 growth in the region of 46.8 percent to $85.2 million, a company all-time high.
Brazil’s Interministerial Working Group Addressing Gamblers’ Health Gathers
The Ministry of Finance in Brazil has conducted the first meeting of an Interministerial Working Group that aims to address issues related to the health of gamblers in Brazil.
The Interministerial Working Group’s first meeting was held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Brasília. That meeting was attended by the Ministries of Finance, Health and Sports, as well as the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic. These bodies comprise the Interministerial Working Group.
“The health of gamblers is one of the priority points in regulation and, as it is a multidisciplinary topic, the work of this (group) will be essential for us to be able to advance on this issue,” Ministry of Finance Secretary of Prizes and Bets Regis Dudena said.
Dudena added that the group had already carried out actions aimed to protect the mental and financial health of gamblers. One such measure being taken is the creation of a gambler self-exclusion platform.
