Brazil updates betting rules to include new categories of esports

Games like Counter-Strike, Valorant and Fortnite now permitted for betting.

Key points:

– Brazilian Government updates betting rules to include more esports

– Change removes restriction that required Olympic recognition

The Brazilian Government has expanded the list of esports and online games eligible for fixed-odds betting, now authorising bets on games such as Counter-Strike, Valorant and Fortnite.

The change was confirmed through an ordinance published in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial da União, the official government publication where federal laws, regulations and public notices are formally published.

Until now, only games recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were considered valid for betting. That list excluded most shooter games, but the update, made through the Ministry of Sport, alters Law No. 14.790/2023, which governs the types of events allowed under Brazil’s betting regulation.

According to the new text, fixed-odds betting is now permitted for esports tournaments that have the “license or authorisation from the game developers or intellectual property holders.”

Good to know: The national Central Bank estimates that Brazilians spend between BR20bn and BR30bn ($5.28bn) per month on online betting. More than 100 betting operators are already licensed to operate in Brazil under the current regulatory framework

This expands the scope of legal betting beyond Olympic-style games such as chess, cycling or motor sport, and into high-profile shooter titles not previously allowed. Although Fortnite was included in the 2023 Olympic Esports Week, it was used in a special target-shooting format, not its standard mode.

The new ordinance reflects the Government’s ongoing adjustments to betting regulation following the official market launched by the end of 2023.