The measures — Ministerial Ordinance SPA/MF No. 2,579 and Normative Instruction SPA/MF No. 31 — establish complementary rules for the protection of bettors and impose new verification and monitoring obligations on operators licensed to operate in the country.
In practice, the regulation requires all agents authorized to operate in Brazil’s sports betting or fixed-odds market to implement, within 30 days, a technical system that blocks access or registration of bettors included on a self-exclusion list. The goal is to prevent individuals who voluntarily removed themselves from the betting market (“self-excluded”) from resuming irregular betting.
According to SPA’s statement, the requirement is part of a broader set of regulatory measures designed to increase control and integrity within this market segment. Additionally, existing responsible gaming rules already state that once someone opts for permanent self-exclusion, access to the platform cannot be reinstated.
Centralized self-exclusion system
Ordinance No. 2,579 establishes the National Self-Exclusion System, a centralized database administered by SPA itself. Under the new rule, anyone wishing to voluntarily step away from betting may do so comprehensively, becoming barred from placing bets on all licensed platforms, not just a specific operator.
This mechanism is considered one of the pillars of responsible gaming policies in regulated markets such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal, and it now becomes a requirement in Brazil as well. The system will allow bettors to define the exclusion period and will be integrated into all operators’ databases, ensuring real-time effectiveness.
Beyond self-exclusion, the regulation requires operators to offer tools for controlling limits and breaks. Bettors may establish deposit limits, betting frequency limits, or session time limits, with automated alerts and temporary blocks in case of excess. It will also be possible to activate a “pause mode,” allowing access only for viewing balance and history, while blocking new bets.
According to SPA, these measures aim to “encourage responsible behavior and prevent problem gambling,” while giving bettors autonomy and concrete protection tools within the regulated environment.
It is important to note that this measure deals specifically with self-exclusion — that is, individuals who voluntarily withdraw from betting — and does not necessarily cover other restrictions (for example, social benefit recipients or age-related bans), although those are also moving through the regulatory pipeline.
Mandatory periodic verification and data cross-checking
Normative Instruction SPA/MF No. 31, published the same day, complements the ordinance by defining the technical procedures operators must follow to verify each registered bettor’s status.
The text states that all operators must check the Betting Management System (SIGAP) — the government’s centralized control platform — before registration and upon each login. The purpose is to confirm that the user is not listed on self-exclusion registries, judicial or administrative ban lists, or identified as a beneficiary of social programs that prevent betting.
Operators must also perform periodic checks at least every 15 days, cross-referencing information with government databases and reporting inconsistencies to SPA. Failure to comply may result in administrative sanctions or even suspension of operating authorization.
The instruction also details adaptation deadlines: operators will have 30 days from publication to update their systems and internal processes.
A decisive step in consolidating the regulated market
The new rules form part of the broader regulatory framework established under Law No. 14,790/2023, which legalized and defined the fixed-odds betting market in Brazil. They also reinforce the practical implementation of Law No. 13,756/2018, which created the tax regime and allocated a portion of revenue to public policy funding.
With centralized self-exclusion and mandatory verification, the government seeks to increase the channelization rate — that is, the migration of bettors into the regulated environment — and reduce the impact of the illegal market, which still moves billions of reais annually.
Experts say the regulatory progress is positive but note that success will depend on the technological effectiveness of SIGAP and active oversight by SPA. For operators, the measures increase operational complexity, requiring system integration and new compliance protocols.
For bettors, the change brings greater safety and transparency, along with tools that support balance and control over their gambling behavior.
As a result, Brazil moves closer to international standards of governance and social responsibility in the betting sector, positioning itself as one of the most promising and simultaneously most tightly controlled markets in Latin America.
Source: GMB
