As the launch of the Brazilian gaming market becomes imminent, legislators have released two new ordinances focused on anti-money laundering efforts for online gaming and live casino operators.

On the latest episode of iGaming Daily, supported by Optimove, Fernando Noodt, Senior Journalist at SBC Noticias, was joined by the Editor of SBC Noticias, Lucía Gando, and his fellow Senior Journalist, Isadora Marcante to examine the latest updates. 

Online and live casino operators in Brazil will now be required to comply with a set of regulations and be certified by a specialised entity ratified by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA).

Isadora described this update as the “most wanted” ordinance by prospective operators.

She said: “We were expecting the law ordinances to be published by the end of July and that didn’t happen. 

“Since they delayed on delivering them, they are delivering right now at a fast pace so operators, payment providers and gaming providers are happy with how fast the process is going. We’re just waiting on one more law ordinance about responsible gambling that I think is the one that most of the operators are looking for.”

Operators have been informed that they have until 20 August to apply for approval to guarantee that they will be given a decision by regulators by the end of 2024. 

Despite this deadline looming, only three operators, Kaizen Gaming, Sportingbet and Caesars Sportsbook, have submitted paperwork for approval which Lucía describes as “concerning”.

She said: “It’s weird to see what’s happening in Brazil. We have only three and they’re all international. We don’t have one national company requesting the licence. They might be getting ready for that but haven’t seen them yet, so this is quite concerning.”

Fernando agreed that the situation is a concern, however, he predicts “an avalanche of operators applying for licences in the next few weeks” ahead of the 20 August deadline.

After a short break, the trio turned their attention to Argentina where regulators across the country’s different provinces are using lawsuits to fight back against the unregulated gaming market and those who promote them.

The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC SE) of Misiones has filed a complaint against 192 illegal online gambling sites, while the Argentina Chamber of Casino and Bingo Halls (CASCBA) lodged a complaint of their own against 18 influencers in the country for advertising unlicensed sportsbooks.

Fernando explained that the regulators are unable to block unlicensed operators and are instead reliant on Internet service providers (ISPs) to do so.

He added: “It’s the first step in the very complex process of getting a website blocked because you need to first investigate, then file the lawsuit and then get the ISPs to block this website. 

“And maybe even then people can still find their way to get to that website. It’s not an easy task to coordinate these types of measures so it’s very important that regulators file these lawsuits.”