Both companies had been seeking inclusion since they were left out of the first list in early October, as they had registered with the Betting Management System (Sigap) and submitted all the necessary documentation.
In the case of Esportes Gaming, according to the Ministry of Finance, inclusion occurred by court order. After not being listed by the federal government, the company assumed control of ST Soft, which operated under the Loterj license with the Apostou.com brand, and secured the right to continue operating.
The inclusion of Esportes da Sorte among those accredited by the State Lottery of Rio de Janeiro led the Ministry of Finance to release a new list in the first week of October to include the betting company among those authorized to operate.
In its appeal that ensured Esportes da Sorte’s inclusion in the national list of authorized betting companies, the company stated that it had complied with "all the legal and regulatory procedures established by the legislation and its respective ordinances."
Esportes da Sorte sponsors five clubs in the Brazilian Championship: Corinthians, Bahia, Grêmio, Palmeiras (women's team), and Athletico-PR (which announced the suspension of its contract with the company in early October).
The betting companies on the government's list will be allowed to continue operating in Brazil during the transition period, which will last until the end of this year. By then, the Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) will publish the list of companies definitively approved to operate in the country starting January 1, 2025.
The expectation is that by November 20, SPA will announce the names of the approved companies, and they will have to pay the licensing fee of R$30 million (US$ 5.3m) to secure the official license to operate. They will also be required to permanently comply with rules to combat fraud, money laundering, and abusive advertising, as well as adopt practices to promote responsible gambling.
Currently, 98 companies are on the National List, with 217 indicated domains, and 26 are on the State List, with 31 betting houses either in operation or in the implementation phase. The State List includes accreditations from the lotteries of Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, and Paraíba. In total, more than 230 authorized sites are listed.
Source: GMB
