A working operator-side reading of Secretaria de Premios e Apostas (SPA-MF), Brazil’s federal online gambling regulator. Licence categories, probity, financial requirements, technical standards, RG and AML, ongoing operator obligations, what makes this regulator different, and the timeline.
Secretaria de Premios e Apostas (SPA), housed inside the Ministerio da Fazenda, is Brazil’s federal regulator for online betting. SPA was established by Bets Law (Lei 14.790/2023) and went operational on 1 January 2025. As of early 2026 around 70 operators are authorised.
Licence categories
SPA-MF authorisations cover sports betting, online casino, and bingo (online). Each authorisation can carry up to three brands. The federal authorisation is supplemented by state-level requirements in some states.
Probity and fit-and-proper
SPA-MF probity covers beneficial ownership, fit-and-proper testing, criminal-record clearance for directors and managers, and AML history review. CPF-level identity verification is required for all controlling persons. The framework is mature but lighter than ADM.
Financial requirements
BRL 30M licence fee for 5 years, BRL 5M minimum capital, BRL 5M guarantee deposit, plus operating capital sufficient to honour player balances. Quarterly financial reporting to SPA-MF.
Technical standards
Portaria SPA/MF 1.231/2024 sets technical requirements: GLI-19, integrity systems, real-time transaction reporting to SPA-MF, KYC integration with Receita Federal, and Brazilian-resident data hosting. Game-content homologation is in flight for major studios.
Responsible gambling and AML
Brazilian RG framework includes mandatory cooling-off periods, deposit limits, self-exclusion via the SPA-MF register, and reality checks. AML integration with COAF. The 2025 advertising-restrictions debate is active and may tighten further.
Ongoing operator obligations
Operator obligations to SPA-MF include real-time transaction reporting, monthly tax declarations, brand additions and removals, and ongoing fit-and-proper maintenance. Brand portability is permitted within an authorisation but capped at three.
What sets SPA-MF apart
What sets SPA-MF apart is its scale and its newness. SPA-MF is one of the youngest major gambling regulators in the world and is regulating the largest single online market opening of the decade. The framework is still settling; expect framework changes through 2026 and 2027.
Application and licensing timeline
Authorisations issued on rolling basis since 1 January 2025. 4 to 6 months from clean application to authorisation. Brand additions and re-authorisations faster.
Where this fits in your entry plan
For the operator-side launch guide covering capital, technical, and budget detail, see how to open an online casino in Brazil. For the broader sequencing argument across all nine markets opening in this window, see the overview piece.