Brazil's SPA Issues First Round of Permanent Licences as Transitional Regime Ends
Brazil's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) has granted permanent five-year licences to 38 operators, formally closing the one-year transitional authorisation period that began in January 2025. The milestone sets the stage for stricter advertising rules and a new tax collection framework starting in Q1 2027.
Brazil's Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) confirmed on Monday that it has issued the first batch of 38 permanent operating licences, marking the official end of the transitional regime that governed the market during its inaugural year. The licensed cohort includes a mix of domestic brands and international groups, each having completed enhanced capital adequacy reviews, player fund segregation audits, and localisation requirements for data hosting within Brazilian borders. A further 21 applications remain under technical review, with the SPA signalling that decisions will be published on a rolling basis through December.
The permanent licensing phase introduces materially stricter obligations than the provisional framework. Operators must now contribute to a centralised self-exclusion registry managed directly by the SPA, submit monthly behavioural analytics reports, and comply with revised affiliate marketing rules that prohibit influencer promotions targeting users under 25. Finance Ministry officials indicated that the next regulatory priority will be finalising the collection mechanism for the 12% GGR tax, which has underperformed initial Treasury projections by an estimated 18% during the transitional period due to compliance gaps.
Industry response has been broadly positive, though trade body ANJL cautioned that the pace of secondary rulemaking is creating operational uncertainty. 'Licensees need predictable timelines for implementing technical changes, particularly around the new real-time reporting APIs that are scheduled for March,' ANJL president Plínio Lemos said in a statement. Several operators that failed to secure permanent authorisation have 90 days to wind down Brazilian-facing operations, with the SPA pledging aggressive enforcement against unlicensed sites through ISP-level blocking orders coordinated with Anatel.
Analysts at Regulus Partners estimate Brazil's regulated market will generate approximately BRL 32 billion in GGR during 2026, positioning it as the third-largest regulated online gambling jurisdiction globally behind the United States and United Kingdom. The permanent licensing milestone is expected to unlock a new wave of institutional investment, with at least four listed European operators reportedly preparing to expand their Brazilian product offerings into online casino verticals now that long-term market access is secured.