Brazil to publish 25,000 betting licensing documents in transparency push

The Brazil Ministry of Finance will publish more than 25,000 documents tied to completed licensing processes for fixed-odds betting operators, opening previously restricted regulatory files to the public.

The announcement was made by Finance Minister Dario Durigan alongside Daniele Cardoso, head of the Secretary of Prizes and Betting (SPA), which oversees regulation of the betting industry.

Durigan said the disclosure marks a shift in the federal government’s approach to public access to information. “My commitment, like President Lula’s commitment, is to provide transparency,” he said. “This government is not a government of secrecy, it is not a government that intends to hoard information and withhold information from people.”

He said that all concluded cases involving regulated betting companies will be made publicly available, framing the decision as a shift away from past secrecy practices.

Before publication, the documents will undergo processing to remove personal data and any information protected by confidentiality rules. Sensitive details will be redacted to ensure compliance with data protection laws.

The ministry said the approach is designed to protect individual privacy while still maintaining full transparency over how public decisions and regulatory analyses were conducted. It also noted the shift comes after earlier restrictions that placed betting-related information under long-term secrecy.

A joint task force with the Comptroller General of the Union will speed up the review and release of the materials. Once cleared, the documents will be published on the Brazil Ministry of Finance website for public access.

Cardoso also confirmed that monitoring and enforcement actions are being strengthened for the FIFA World Cup period.

Authorities have held coordination meetings with public prosecutors, consumer protection bodies, and Procons to reinforce compliance across the betting industry. The focus is on advertising rules and regulatory standards established under Law No. 14.790/2023, particularly those governing marketing and commercial communications.

“We are reinforcing monitoring and oversight actions during the competition period,” she said. “We have already instructed regulated agents on the need for strict adherence to the responsible gaming rules stipulated in the legislation [and] we will intensify the monitoring of the campaigns.”

The first Responsible Gaming Seminar will take place on 16 June.