ABRAJOGO criticizes regulated sector’s absence from Planalto meeting on Brazilian betting policy

The Brazilian Association of International Game Operators and Providers, ABRAJOGO, said the regulated market was left out of a Tuesday (1) meeting at the Palácio do Planalto on the social impact of electronic betting in Brazil. For PSPs, acquirers, and operators, the point is simple: if policy is being shaped without the licensed side in the room, the discussion can easily miss the mechanics of how the regulated market actually works.

1. ABRAJOGO said the meeting, convened by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, brought together religious groups, productive-sector representatives, health and culture organizations, and consumer-protection groups, but no representative entity from the regulated betting market.
2. The association argued that a discussion with this kind of policy weight should be built with plural participation, transparency, official data, and input from the parties directly involved, especially because the outcome can affect consumers, companies, workers, and the wider economic chain linked to betting.
3. It also pointed out the absence of the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance, the body responsible for authorizing, regulating, monitoring, and supervising companies operating legally in Brazil.
4. ABRAJOGO said licensed operators have been subject to a broad set of legal, tax, technical, and operational obligations since the federal regulated market was implemented, including user identification, self-exclusion tools, system certification, anti-money laundering controls, risk-behavior monitoring, advertising rules, and consumer-protection measures.
5. The group drew a sharp line between licensed operators and illegal platforms, saying the clandestine market does not face the same obligations, state oversight, or protection tools. In its view, weakening that distinction could end up helping the very operations that sit outside the rules set by the state.