Rio Court Halts Blocking of Operator Sites Without Loterj Licence
Betting platforms active in Rio de Janeiro will be allowed to continue operating without a Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) license after a ruling from a federal court on Aug. 12.
A previous federal ruling ordered Anatel, the National Telecommunications Agency, to block sites of operators who hadn’t gained a Loterj license.
However, an appeal from the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) has been “partially” accepted with the injunction suspended. Federal judge Pablo Zuniga Dourado highlighted the Dec. 31 deadline for applications as the reason to suspend the blocking order.
Brazil License Application Tally Reaches 18
With the Aug. 20 deadline for prioritized license applications less than a week away, the total of requests from operators stands at 18 after a flurry this week. Any operator who applies by the deadline will have its application processed by the expected legal-market launch date of Jan. 1, 2025.
Sportybet and EstrelaBet applied Aug. 12, before five operators submitted requests the following day. These were Reals Bet, Betfair, 7games.bet, HiperBet and Novibet. SeguroBet applied Aug. 14.
Flutter Looking to Reach Summit in Brazil
Companies have been reporting Q2 earnings, and LatAm has been a focus of some business’ reports.
Flutter, for instance, is aiming to be a leader in Brazil’s legal market after the operator reported constant currency growth of 11 percent in Brazil over the quarter. Its brand Betfair was one of those to apply for a license earlier this week.
“I think we’re reasonably well placed with our Betfair brand in that market,” Flutter CEO Peter Jackson told analysts. “We are ambitious, right? We like to have podium positions. And I really like to have gold medal positions.”
Flamengo to Launch Own Betting House with PixBet
Brazilian soccer team Flamengo has approved a deal for PixBet to manage the club’s new betting house.
The proposal passed Flamengo’s board with a vote of 123-4, with the deliberative council giving the club the go ahead on the deal, which is set to last until 2027. As reported by Games Magazine Brasil, Flamengo’s master sponsor PixBet will pay the club at least $15.1 million over the partnership’s duration.
The agreement entitles Flamengo to take 1 percent of each wager placed on the platform. Combined with the existing deal, PixBet will have invested $99.3 million by the deal’s expiration date.
Pragmatic Play Expands into Mexico
Multi-channel provider Pragmatic Play has expanded its LatAm presence thanks to a deal with casino operator Betxico that will allow it to launch its online games in Mexico, the company announced Aug. 12 via press release.
The Betxico agreement follows deals made by Pragmatic Play earlier this year, including a May partnership with bplay to integrate its games into the operator’s Brazilian platform.
In announcing the Betxico partnership, Pragmatic Play said the move signals the provider’s “continued commitment to long-term growth” in LatAm.
