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by Tina Andlaw 

With this in mind, forward-thinking gaming companies are now taking a closer look at Brazil’s prospects.  And what are they discovering?  Well, three factors keep emerging: one, the Brazilians’ love of sport which cannot be under-estimated, thanks to football heroes such as the likes of Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho; two, off-line gambling is already a highly popular pastime across a large section of the Brazilian population, with government-run lotteries, bingo and gambling halls forming a large part of the Brazilian gambling scene; and three, internet usage is enormous, with no less than 41 million internet users spending time online per month: that’s more than any other country in the world, according to a report in Brazil’s O Globo newspaper.  Brazil indeed seems to offer great potential in terms of e-gaming take up - a situation that simply cannot be overlooked by online gaming operators seeking lucrative new international markets. 

Other findings are also positive.  According to a Unisys survey, some 11% of all mobile phone users, of which there are over 120 million in Brazil, would consider the possibility of using their phones for gambling, suggesting considerable potential in the field of mobile gaming.  In terms of poker, popularity is gaining every day.  Luiz Zonca, Operations Director of Betboo confirms:  "Several establishments organise offline poker tournaments and there are programmes plus several very good Brazilian poker players who are becoming more well-known."  Online poker is therefore anticipated to enjoy high take-up as part of the full spectrum of e-gaming products that operators are hoping to introduce in Brazil. 

But, as with many good things, there’s one slight snag for now: the current lack of gambling legislation officially obstructs the activity of online betting and gambling of any form; however, this is unlikely to remain an obstacle for long. An amazing 84 bills are now being debated by the national congress to approve and regulate various forms of street bingos.  As offline bingos become increasingly accepted, online gambling will, in time, also be regarded as a more viable prospect.  Meanwhile, online gambling companies wishing to conduct activities in Brazil do so, as is often the case with new markets, within a “grey area” of the law.  Despite being heavily restricted in terms of advertising on some media channels, online betting is already being met by an excellent market, meaning growing acceptance on certain TV channels, poker magazines and the internet – all great signs for the future prospects of e-gaming in Brazil. 

In order to gain a full perspective on Brazil’s overall e-gaming potential, we cannot overlook the nation’s economic climate: Private investments in Brazil are expected to exceed R$15 billion (8.3 US$) by 2010 and, according to government officials in the State of Sao Paulo, they have already approved more than 200 investment projects from private groups, many from foreign companies.  As the second largest economy in the Americas after the USA, and the second largest economy in the developing world after China, Brazil’s predictions for a successful economic future are widely expected to hold true.  In the year of his election in 2003, President Lula dramatically decreased inflation to 16% which today stands at only around 5.7%.  This, along with a favourable exchange rate, has encouraged many top international businesses to conduct business in Brazil, at a fraction of the costs “back home”.  In turn, just as soon as legislation fully permits, the nation will undoubtedly be offering very solid prospects for online gambling operators the world over.   

Zonca leaves us with a parting thought:  “Brazilians love to gamble and they see possibilities in the online market which currently do not exist offline.  The number of online gamblers is growing every day and I have seen a growing interest in the Latin American market from operators, and Brazil represents around 40% of this market”.  It’s clear that operators will be taking a closer look at Brazil, potentially one of the largest players in the Latin American gambling market today. 

online sports gaming in Brazil | gambling | e-gaming