Illegal betting operations across Brazil have caught the attention of the trade association representing the country’s lottery groups, the National Association of Gaming and Lottery (ANJL).
Brazil launched a regulated national betting market on 1 January this year, and for the most part stakeholders are confident that the rollout of this market has been going well. The lingering presence of black and grey markets remains a consistent concern, however.
The ANJL will be working with the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), the Brazilian betting regulator under the Ministry of Finance. The duo recently signed a cooperation agreement, announced during an event hosted by the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gambling (IBJR).
This arrangement will see the trade association and regulator commit to working more closely around combating illegal betting in Brazil. This comes amid many of Brazil’s state lotteries, which the ANJL represents, looking to get involved in the burgeoning betting market themselves.
In the run up to the market launch, various state lotteries moved to up their game in sports betting. The state lottery of the country’s second largest state, Minas Gerais, piloted a sportsbook product back in 2023, for example.
Illegal betting operations, many of which rely on familiarity among consumers going back years prior to the 2025 market launch, pose a challenge to these ambitions. Estimates put the earnings made by the illegal sector in excess of R$4bn (€612.9m/US$715.7m) for 2025 alone.
Plínio Lemos Jorge, ANJL President, said: “This agreement demonstrates that our sector is united, conveying the message of unrestricted defense of responsible gaming. We share the common goal of ensuring the viability of the regulated betting market.
“We face a major challenge, as a potential high tax burden could compromise the sector and encourage the expansion of illegal platforms, which already dominate most of the betting operations in the country.”