SPA Defines 2026-2027 Regulatory Agenda for iGaming's Future
Through Ordinance SPA/MF No. 408, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) established a nine-point priority schedule that will set the pace for the industry over the next 24 months. The plan seeks to provide predictability and attract sustainable investments to the sector.
Brazil's Ministry of Finance has taken a fundamental step to consolidate the maturity of its regulated market. This Thursday, February 13, the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA-MF) published in the Official Gazette the Regulatory Agenda 2026/2027, a document detailing the priority actions for the regulation of the betting and prizes sector for the next two years.
Signed by acting secretary Daniele Correa Cardoso, the agenda's main objectives are to establish priority actions, provide legal certainty, and offer a stable and attractive regulatory environment for the international market.
Expert analysis: Lights and shadows of the schedule
Consulted by iGaming.bet about this new roadmap, Amilton Noble highlighted that all points selected by the SPA are important and relevant to the industry. However, he noted a discrepancy in the agency's temporal priorities.
"All the points brought as priorities are important and relevant. What strikes me is that a topic as important as traditional lotteries is only scheduled for late 2027," Noble commented.
For the specialist, this delay shows that lotteries are not a top priority for the SPA, despite having much older legislation than fixed-odds betting. "That's the negative point," he stated. On the other hand, Noble highlighted as the main positive point the focus and "attention" placed on payment methods and responsible gambling, pillars he considers fundamental for the health of the ecosystem.
2026 Schedule: Operational adjustments and market control
The first year of the biennium will focus on refining existing regulations and expanding into physical channels:
- First Quarter: Criteria for operator authorization (Ordinance 827/2024) will be reviewed, the blocking of transactions to unauthorized companies will be refined, and affiliate advertising rules on digital platforms will be updated.
- Second Quarter: The focus will be on regulating fixed-odds betting through physical terminals in lottery agencies.
- Third Quarter: Responsible Gambling will be prioritized, with the development of tools for users to monitor their behavior in a system integrated with the SPA-MF.
- Fourth Quarter: This quarter will be dedicated to strengthening inspection procedures and updating the sanctioning regime for infractions in the sector.
2027 Vision: Financial security and structural modernization
For the second year of the agenda, the SPA plans to address more technically complex issues:
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML/CFT): A comprehensive evaluation of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations will be conducted after the first real market monitoring cycle.
- Modernization of "Popular Savings": Procedures for the anticipated collection of popular savings will be updated, modernizing regulations dating back to 1971 and 2022.
- Review of Caixa Lotteries: As Noble observed, the schedule will conclude only in the third quarter of 2027 with a comprehensive review of the lottery modalities operated by Caixa Loterias S.A.
Tags: Brazil, Brazil SPA, Brazil gambling regulation