Written by Ana Maria Menezes, this story was first published in Portuguese on SBC Notícias Brasil.
Régis Dudena, Secretary of Prizes and Bets for Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, highlights progress in regulation, questions the growth of the illegal market and projects the consolidation of the National Betting System.
In an interview with SBC Notícias Brasil, Dudena challenged the narrative of growth of Brazil’s illegal betting market, highlighting that the regulated sector’s presence has already changed the national scenario, channelling bettors to authorised companies, with significant gains in transparency, security and responsibility.
“If we compare how it was until December of last year, where there were not many criteria for this [regulation], with now, we objectively have something to say: that today we have a much larger number of people who are entertaining themselves in an environment regulated [by] authorized and legal agents,” he said.
Despite this, Dudena acknowledged that the illegal market is still present, but he downplayed the data on its supposed growth rather than its mitigation. Instead of an isolated “snapshot,” he proposed an analysis of trends, considering the structure of the sector and the coordinated action against illegal operators.
“We know that there is still a problem with the presence of illegality. What we have identified is a tendency to channel all bettors to authorised bettors,” he commented.
Processing betting data
Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) has not yet released the data for the first quarter of the regulated sector, but this is expected to happen soon, according to Dudena.
One of the challenges faced was the internalisation and processing of the data reported by the authorised houses, which required improvements to SIGAP, the system used for this purpose.
Companies report data to the Government daily, such as gamblers’ winnings, losses and deposits. For Dudena, the processing and internalisation of this data was the biggest challenge. In addition to receiving the data, SIGAP needs to improve its use of the data, and it is at this stage that the secretary justifies the non-disclosure of the first regulated semester in Brazil.
“The idea is that we will soon have the first quarter, and then, as soon as possible, we can have the second quarter. And, by the end of the year, perhaps, we will normalise [the distribution of data], so that we always have the end of a quarter, and, in the following month, the release of this data,” shared the secretary.
Despite the difficulties, the secretary assessed that SPA’s greatest achievement in 2024 was to take the sector out of deregulation and lead it to a functional model.
“Creating the regulations, conducting an authorisation process by the end of the year and being able to bring this up to date as of 1 January, 2025, that was a great gain,” he highlighted.
For Dudena, the greatest merit was the combination of planning and execution: “I even received this comment, even in a joking tone: ‘We didn’t expect you to be able to do it’. So this ability to plan and do what was planned is, for me, the greatest gain.”
SINAPO and the work to do
Another important milestone is the development of a working group, which aims to work on creating the SINAPO, the National Betting System.
The Union sent invitations to the states and the Federal District to collaborate in the design of the initiative, with 16 federative units participating in the working group. According to the Secretary, the expectation is that, by the end of the year, the project will be ready to move forward and be implemented.
After a first meeting in April, the SPA began to promote meetings to establish minimum membership criteria, focusing on topics such as responsible gaming and combating money laundering.
Dudena explained: “As we have some needs in the sector, such as responsible gaming, but also combating money laundering and others, the idea is that, in order for [state lotteries] to be able to enter the system, there must be a minimum level of compliance with the rules.
“So, this minimum level will enable the states to enter. What are these minimum levels? That is what we are discussing.”
Among the tools that can be offered by the Union to states that join SINAPO, the domain extension “.bet.br” and the implementation of the centralised self-exclusion system stand out.
“The idea is that, once they are part of this system, the states can also use these tools. On the one hand, we bring these minimum requirements,” commented Dudena.
“On the other hand, the Union intends to offer the possibility of sharing these experiences in this system. But it is also important to make it clear that we also benefit greatly from this. The Union also benefits from experiences, from learning from what the states have also done.”
Regarding a possible expansion of SINAPO to include municipal lotteries, Dudena added: “Our technical understanding, supported by the Attorney General’s Office of the National Treasury, is that Brazilian legislation does not authorise the existence of municipal lotteries.”
According to Dudena, the current understanding allows lotteries to be operated only by the Union and the states. This means that, with regard to the jurisdiction of the SPA, supervision and regulation do not extend to the municipal spheres.
Reported data shows significant growth
On 26 June, Agência Brasil, a public news agency linked to the Brazilian Communications Company (EBC), responsible for state media, released federal revenue data for the first five months of 2025.
In May alone, revenue from activities related to online betting increased by around 23,000%. In 2024, the sector raised R$4m (approximately £534,900), while in the same period this year, the amount exceeded R$800m (approximately £107m).
Compared to the first five months of each year, there was an increase of more than 40,000% – from R$7m to R$3bn.
