Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor opens inquiry into Lula government betting oversight as 190 licensed platforms operate

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has opened a year-long inquiry into how the Lula government is regulating online betting, with a specific focus on whether the Ministry of Finance is actually monitoring compliance with Brazil’s betting laws. For PSPs and operators, the point is not just who is licensed, but how closely the state is policing the market and its public-health obligations.

1. The inquiry started as an administrative procedure to examine the routines used by the Ministry of Finance to monitor compliance with Law No. 14,790/2023 and Law No. 13,756/2018 by companies operating fixed-odds betting.
2. Beyond regulation, the MPF said the investigation will also assess the effectiveness of the public health system in treating and preventing pathological gambling. According to Veja’s Radar column, the objective is to evaluate the federal government’s performance in overseeing the sector.
3. The timing matters because Brazil’s regulated iGaming market is now consolidating. There are currently 190 platforms licensed by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), which means the compliance perimeter is no longer theoretical; it is a live market with a large number of operators already in play.
4. Brazil legalised sports betting in 2018 through Law 13,756, then regulated it in 2023 and formally brought operations online two years later. The SPA set the criteria and obligations for operators through ordinances, and also defined methods for monitoring betting sites, controlling operations, and curbing the illegal market.
5. The legal framework cited in the report includes Ministry of Finance Ordinance SPA/MF No. 1,225, July 31, 2024, on monitoring and oversight of fixed-odds betting; Ordinance SPA/MF No. 1,231, July 31, 2024, on responsible gaming and communication, advertising, and marketing rules; and Ordinance SPA/MF No. 1,233, July 31, 2024, on the sanctioning regime.

The takeaway for payment providers is straightforward: Brazil is no longer just a licensing story. It is moving into the enforcement phase, where operator controls, marketing rules, responsible gaming obligations, and public-sector oversight are all part of the same file.