The Federal Government has expanded the list of eSports and electronic games authorized for online betting. This change was formalized in an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union this Wednesday (23). The Minister of Sports, André Fufuca (PP), confirmed the measure to the g1 portal.
According to the ordinance, the Ministry of Sports adjusted Law No. 14,790/2023. In this way, it now regulates which games can receive fixed-odds bets in so-called bets.
The government’s new text authorized online betting on eSports tournaments, as long as the event has a “license or authorization from the developers” or “game copyright holders”.
IOC eSports selection and impact on shooting games
Prior to this update, the government only considered eSports recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be eligible. As a result, shooter games such as Counter Strike, Valorant and Fortnite were excluded from this market.
The IOC’s eSports list includes games such as chess, motor racing, target shooting, cycling, Just Dance, baseball and tennis.
Vincent Pereira, the IOC’s director of virtual sports and games, said: “We cannot have these games promoting Olympic values,” when explaining the exclusion of shooting titles from the Olympic eSports categories.
On the other hand, Fortnite joined the 2023 Olympic Esports Week as a sports shooter game, instead of following the traditional survival format. Brazil is currently one of the main gaming markets in the world.
Data from the Central Bank reveals that Brazilians move between R$20 billion and R$30 billion per month in online bets, known as bets. Thus, the competitive gaming segment tends to increase these numbers even further.
Regulation of online betting
Law 13,756, enacted in December 2018, established fixed-odds betting in Brazil. These bets are defined by law as “bets on real or virtual events in which it is defined, at the time the bet is placed, how much the bettor can win if the prediction is correct”.
President Lula sanctioned the law regulating the online sports betting market in the country on December 31, 2023. On January 1, 2025, the long-awaited regulation was formalized in the country.
Only companies formalized under national legislation, with headquarters and administration in Brazilian territory, may operate sports betting. According to the law, minors under 18 years of age are not allowed to bet.
The legislation also prohibits betting on:
- Owners and employees of betting companies
- Public agents with regulatory or inspection activities in the sector
- Persons with access to the computerized betting system
- Individuals with the power to influence results, such as sports directors, referees and athletes
- People diagnosed with gambling disorder, a disease related to compulsive gaming.