The Federal Government is considering charging betting houses fees corresponding to the period in which they operated in Brazil before market regulation. A working group formed by the Federal Revenue Service (RF) and the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) of the Ministry of Finance is studying the matter. According to reports, the total amount collected from these fees could reach over R$12 billion.
According to information from the Metrópoles portal, the government would be willing to pay in installments. In total, 135 companies would have to make retroactive payments. The regulated online betting market began in January 2025.
The Ministry of Treasury has already confirmed the analysis of the measure. “There is a working group, composed of the RF and SPA, that is analyzing the matter. The results will inform the Federal Revenue Service’s actions regarding possible retroactive charges. Due to the confidentiality surrounding tax intelligence matters, it is not possible to provide additional details,” the ministry states.
Federal Revenue Service report assesses specific measures for sportsbooks
In view of this, the Annual Inspection Report, published by the RF with planning for 2025, presents the measures related to betting as “structuring”.
Furthermore, the report plans to “evaluate measures to ensure compliance at sustainable levels in the fixed-odds betting market, considering the differences between agents authorized by market regulators and those operating outside the law.”
In March 2025, Revenue Secretary Robinson Barreirinhas assessed that betting houses that operated in Brazil before the regulation should pay retroactive taxes. According to him, if the companies’ operations in the country and that they made a profit during the period are proven, they must pay taxes to the tax authorities.
At the time, in response to a question from Senator Soraya Thronicke (União-MS), Barreirinhas took a stance. “If there was a material presence here in Brazil and there was profit, you have to pay income tax; if there was revenue, you have to pay PIS-COFINS,” he said.
Barreirinhas gave a statement to the Betting CPI
The statement came during his participation in the “CPI das Bets” (Bets Parliamentary Inquiry Commission) in the Federal Senate. According to Barreirinhas, the companies authorized by the Treasury received a “vote of confidence.”
Therefore, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be any oversight of these companies’ past performance. “Because, in the past, if they had income here in Brazil, had revenue, and were actually in Brazil, they owe taxes to Brazil,” he emphasized.
During the administration of former President Michel Temer (MDB), online gambling was legalized. However, it was not regulated by the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), which increased the creation of companies in the sector.
In parallel with this process, a Provisional Measure (MP) is currently being processed in the National Congress that provides for an 18% increase in the tariff. With the rate increase, the economic team expects to increase revenue by R$284.94 million in 2025 and R$1.7 billion in 2026 and 2027.
