In 2024, the government opened a deadline for bets to apply for licenses to operate in Brazil. Companies that registered were able to operate while their requests were evaluated. From the beginning of 2025, only companies with approved licensing will be able to operate.
Technicians from the Ministry of Finance formed a sort of task force to conclude the analysis of license requests in the last days of December in order to finish before the end of the year.
The new deadline requested by betting companies would allow companies that are trying to rectify license requests to continue operating while they await a definitive response.
It often happens that betting companies are denied authorization because they do not present all the necessary documents or because they are unable to prove the suitability of their shareholders.
Several companies wanted to rely on Loterj's authorization to continue their activities in Brazil, but André Mendonça's decision blocked this possibility and made the federal government's actions prevail.
The case became famous because sports betting has been gaining more and more space in the country. One of the companies that wanted to operate based on Loterj's license was Esportes da Sorte, which sponsors soccer clubs such as Corinthians, Grêmio, Bahia and Ceará.
The case gained prominence due to the growing popularity of sports betting in Brazil. Among the companies seeking to operate under the Loterj license is Esportes da Sorte, a sponsor of football clubs such as Corinthians, Grêmio, Bahia, and Ceará. Recently, the company secured a court injunction allowing it to operate nationwide and has already paid the federal grant fee of R$ 30 million (US$ 5m).
Source: GMB / Estadão
