Betting companies authorized by the federal government consider their presence on the App Store, the official iPhone application platform, strategic. Industry executives say there was a long negotiation with Apple to allow regulated operators to enter the country.
According to company representatives, applications from illegal platforms were previously available, while authorized companies did not yet appear in the official store.
After the negotiations, Apple updated its guidelines and started to accept only operators accredited to operate in Brazil. The measure follows the rules established by the Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA).
The first company approved was Superbet, and in less than 24 hours, the application reached the top among the most downloaded on the platform.
Currently, the prominent position belongs to Betano, which entered the App Store days later. Despite the repercussion, operators did not release official download numbers.
Since January 2025, only companies authorized by the Ministry of Finance can legally operate in the Brazilian betting market.
How the App Store became an important part of regulated betting
The arrival of regulated bets in official application stores began to be seen by the sector as a way of differentiating legal companies from illegal operators.
The topic gained strength amid increased regulatory pressure on sports betting in Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has adopted a critical discourse on the sector and relates the bets to the growth in debt among Brazilian families.
The federal government also launched the Desenrola 2.0 program. The initiative blocks participants’ CPF from accessing online betting platforms for 12 months.
Sector responds to criticism about the impact of betting
Regulated operators dispute criticism involving the population’s indebtedness. The National Gaming and Lottery Association questions the data presented by entities linked to retail.
The association stated that the numbers released “do not match official data from the government and the sector” and disregard “the multifactorial nature of Brazilians’ debt”.