Brazilian Lottery Regulation

Despite the fact that the Brazilian government has proclaimed gambling within the country illegal, there are still ways for Brazilians to wager and gamble. With over 190 million citizens, Brazil is one of the largest markets in the world, and the regulations have both their ups and downs. Online gambling has seen a rise in recent years, but due to the fact that the gambling laws are outdated and that only horse racing and lotteries are legally regulated up to date, players from Brazil have to play at international online casinos.

Before the end of the World War II, almost all forms of gambling were legal in Brazil. In 1946, the president banned casinos from operating and prohibited most forms of sports betting. The only legal forms of gambling left were betting on horse races and lotteries. This was meant to combat organized crime by banning almost all types of gambling, with the Criminal Contravention Act from 1941 being still active today. This has made overall gambling and sports betting illegal, and there is no change in sight in the foreseeable future. However, the state-operated CAIXA has made several types of sports betting available.

In the 1990s, the Brazilian government has made the decision to change its views on gambling and to issue permission to take advantage of both slot and bingo machines. This, however, came to an end in 2004, when all slot and bingo machines were outlawed due to the government being involved in bribery. Now slot and bingo machines are allowed to operate only in territories that have no clear regulations in place, which has put the entire gambling industry under a lot of pressure.

The Criminal Contravention Act of 1941 that was designed to prohibit and penalize games of chance, serves to make games of chance punishable by imprisonment if they are carried out in public places. This was meant to make gambling somewhat safer, but has outlawed all types of gambling because it only allowed horse races and lotteries to operate legally. Brazilian players looking to safely play online should stick to properly regulated and well-established international online casinos.