The global betting industry is attentive to regulatory developments in Brazil. ICE Barcelona provided an intense exchange of information between national and international players. Founder of Maia Yoshiyasu Advogados, Luiz Felipe Maia highlighted the main challenges to be faced throughout 2025.
During the event, he participated in a panel dedicated to the Brazilian market. “There is a lot of interest in Brazil. I have been attending ICE since 2011 and have never seen as much interest as this year. The country is consolidating itself as the third largest gaming market in the world,” he stated.
Maia explained that his talk addressed specific issues for suppliers and the B2B sector, discussing what can be done in Brazil, the available paths and the need for tropicalization.
“This year, we will have several technical challenges. The government faces difficulties with daily reports, while operators have problems with integration certificates and sending these reports to SIGAP”, he commented.
According to him, the first challenge will be combating the illegal segment. “The first challenge is to see how the regulator and Brazilian authorities will deal with the illegal market. It is not just a question of regulation, but of how the rules will be applied. How will the Central Bank act in relation to payment methods that facilitate transactions for unauthorized companies? How will Conar handle advertising? And how will police authorities act against those who promote unauthorized advertising?”, he asked.
Vote of confidence and legal security
Furthermore, Luiz Felipe Maia considered that “Brazil asked for a very large vote of confidence, saying that there are strict rules and a very expensive license, but that it would protect the regulated industry. The operators came in a much larger quantity than the regulator itself expected. Now is the time for compensation. Let’s see how the Brazilian government will mobilize to protect the local market.”
He also cited the recent decision by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), André Mendonça “restricting Loterj’s operations to the territory of Rio de Janeiro. This must be applied to all states and municipalities. This is a move to protect the market, bringing legal security.”
Maia concluded: “It will be very important for the sector to organize itself and seek unified representation. This is the main challenge.”
