Brazil's Court pressures Caixa on inactive fixed-odds platform
Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) has decided to raise its demands on Caixa Loterias due to the prolonged delay in launching its betting platform, named "Bet da Caixa." Despite the state-owned entity already having definitive authorization and having disbursed 30 million reais for the concession in accordance with Law 14.790/2023, the operation remains stalled. Minister Jhonatan de Jesus was emphatic in a recent resolution, stating that this paralysis represents an inefficient use of public resources, as the five-year license period continues to run without generating benefits for the state.
The Federation of Lottery Companies (Febralot) has joined the administrative process, providing figures that reflect the seriousness of the matter. According to their estimates, Caixa's lack of activity causes a direct loss of approximately 6 million reais for each year of concession wasted. This delay not only affects the profitability of the license but also weakens the position of the physical lottery network at a key moment for the industry. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the state network risks losing a window of historical demand to the aggressive expansion of private operators in the digital environment.
From an operational standpoint, the TCU questions why no significant progress has been made since the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) granted definitive approval on July 30, 2025. The obtained license allows Caixa to operate simultaneously in physical and digital channels under the brands BetCaixa, MegaBet, and Xbet Caixa. For the court, this delay is a clear indication of administrative inefficiency that reduces the competitiveness of one of the country's most traditional institutions in a market that is becoming increasingly demanding and technologically advanced.
In addition to justifications for the delay, the court has demanded that Caixa present rigorous security and transparency protocols. Among the demands are detailed compliance mechanisms, money laundering prevention, and responsible gambling policies. The state-owned company must demonstrate that it has robust identity verification systems to prevent access by minors, as well as behavioral alerts and self-exclusion tools for users. Operational security and the territorial presence of technology providers are also part of the dossier that the court will thoroughly review.
The Ministry has set very strict deadlines for obtaining responses. Caixa has only five business days to submit its technical and administrative justifications for the failure to start operations. It also has a period of 15 days to present an updated schedule and all documentation supporting its fiscal and operational responsibility in Brazil. This move by the TCU marks a before and after in the supervision of state betting, sending a clear message about the importance of agility in the management of public assets in the iGaming sector.
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