The Ultimate Guide to Sports Betting in Brazil
Despite the government approving legislation for legal sports betting in Brazil in December 2018, an official launch isn’t expected until 2021. Until then, you can bet on everything from the beautiful game to your favourite mixed martial artists at international sports betting sites that accept Brazilians. Get started by claiming your welcome bonus at one of the best sports betting sites for Brazilians.
Best Sports Betting Sites for Brazilians 2024
Everygame Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- AUD
- CAD
- USD
- Competitive sign-up and promotional offers
- Excellent statistics section to aid customers
- Pain-free deposit options
- Accepts both high and low limit bettors
- Lengthy and expensive withdrawal procedure
BetUS Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- BTC
- LTC
- ETH
- Premier destination for US bettors
- Racebook covering daily races
- Esports and virtual sports markets
- In-depth sports stats and tips
- Intuitive live betting markets
- Limited withdrawal options
MyBookie Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- LTC
- USD
- Generous bonuses and promotions
- Great range of betting markets
- Extensive racebook
- Very good customer service
- Only a few withdrawal options
- Fees for withdrawing funds
BUSR Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- BTC
- Trusted by publications such as ESPN
- Access a dedicated racing section
- Crypto-friendly sportsbook
- Adjust odds format and time zone
- Support options include call back
- Quite low sportsbook limits
BetOnline Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- USD
- Accepts players from all over the world
- Known for their live betting offers
- Lots of secure banking options
- Great bonuses and promotions
- High fees for some deposit options
- Support agents are often slow to reply
Bovada.lv Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- BTC
- Top-rated US online sportsbook
- Mobile site for iOS and Android users
- Diverse range of betting markets
- Excellent customer support options
- Lines come out very late in the day
- Odds not as favorable as other books
BookMaker.eu Sports
Payment Options
Average Payout Speed
0 – 24 HoursCurrencies
- BPS
- CAD
- EUR
- Popular book that accepts large max bets
- Huge focus on football and basketball
- High-spec live in-play platform available
- Downloadable client for Windows & Mac
- Odds are not amazing on non-US sports
- User interface could be improved
Is Online Betting Legal in Brazil?
As of 12 December 2018, yes. This is when Brazil’s former president, Michel Temer, signed Law 13,756/2018 into legislation following approval of Provisional Measure 846/2018 just weeks earlier on 20 November 2018. This law gave the green light for fixed-odds sports betting to be rolled out, with Brazil’s Legal Gaming Institute valuing the country’s legal gambling market at approximately R$55 billion.
Of course, tax was the primary reason behind the government’s push to legalise the sports betting market.
The initial plan was to limit the number of betting licenses issued for both land-based and online operators to just 30. However, no licenses have been issued to date. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the government’s focus to health matters, and the legal framework for a regulated market still needs to be finalised following sports betting being added to Brazil’s ambitious national privatization plan.
What we do know is that Brazilian sports betting sites are expected to be taxed 1% on their turnover. It is also believed that bettors will be taxed 13.8% for any wins of R$1,900 or more, which is in line with the country’s lottery taxes. The legal age for sports betting online is expected to be 18 years old. We’ll update this section when more information comes to light on the legality of sports betting in Brazil.
How to Deposit at Brazilian Sports Betting Sites
Stringent implementation of a prohibition on credit and debit cards means you won’t be able to use your card to deposit at sports betting sites as a Brazilian.
Brazilian bettors were dealt another blow in January 2018 when Paysafe Group announced that Skrill and NETELLER would no longer support gambling transactions. After an almost two-year hiatus, the online payments company opened its digital gates for Brazilian online gamblers again in December 2019.
But not everyone rushed back. Many gamblers continued to use the alternative banking methods they turned to when the popular e-wallets were no longer an option, including:
AstroPay
AstroPay
Virtually all sports betting sites that accept Brazilians support AstroPay payments. The single-use prepaid card is one of the fastest growing payment solutions in Latin America. Prepaid cards range in value from R$40 to R$4,000, with withdrawals made possible via Transferência AstroPay Bank.
AstroPay is ideal if you’re seeking a layer of anonymity and wish to avoid sharing your banking details with betting sites.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin
The Central Bank of Brazil may not approve of Bitcoin, but there is no getting away from its popularity amongst Brazilian bettors. Advantages of Bitcoin betting include less transactions fees when compared to traditional banking methods, anonymity, and the speed in which transactions are processed.
The main disadvantage of betting with BTC instead of legal tender is the volatility of the price of Bitcoin.
Boleto Bancário
Boleto Bancário
Launched in 1993, Boleto Bancário is a popular cash-based payment method through which Brazilian customers can make secure payments to online betting sites. It facilitates the movement of funds from bank accounts to other businesses and does not require a credit/debit card.
Beloto is regulated by the Central Bank of Brazil, making it one of the safest deposit methods you can select at sports betting sites.
paysafecard
paysafecard
paysafecard is a relative newcomer to the Brazilian market, having only opened its virtual doors to residents of Brazil in 2017.
The prepaid payment method requires users to purchase a 16-digit PIN code from a local sales outlet or via the company’s official website. This code can then be entered at sports betting sites in Brazil to fund your account without having to share your banking information.
Bet on the Most Popular Sports in Brazil
Football may be the national sport of Brazil, but it’s far from the only sport that Brazilians love to play and bet on. Aside from the beautiful game, Brazilians particularly enjoy betting on MMA fights, action-packed Formula 1 races, volleyball matches played on sun-soaked beaches, and fast-paced basketball games.
Football
Football
It goes without saying that football is the most popular sport in the country known as “o País do Futebol” – “the country of football” for those of you who aren’t fluent in Portuguese. The two-time World Cup hosts are five-time world champions and have produced some of the best players to have ever graced the planet.
The domestic Brazilian Championship A Series attracts fervent support and fosters some of the up and coming starlets who learn their craft before typically moving to Europe to secure lucrative contracts at top clubs. Neymar is a prime example, having moved from Santos to Barcelona before joining PSG.
MMA
MMA
Made famous by Royce Gracie, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is now the discipline that underpins the fighting styles adopted in premier mixed martial arts organizations like the UFC and Bellator. Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort are two of the greatest Brazilian MMA fighters of all time.
Regular MMA events are held around the globe, presenting you with lots of opportunities to bet on your favourite MMA fighters. Several UFC Fight Nights have taken place in Brazil in recent years, with local fighters like José Aldo and Renan Barão showcasing their skills inside the famous Octagon on home soil.
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazil has produced three Formula 1 World Champions: Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and 1974), Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983 and 1987) and Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990 and 1991). Only Germany and the United Kingdom boast more championship wins, but Felipe Massa was the last Brazilian to compete in F1.
Ayrton Senna’s home city of São Paulo’s has hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix since 1973. Races take place at Autódromo José Carlos Pace, a circuit named after the late Carlos Pace. It is considered one of the most challenging circuits in the world because it runs anti-clockwise and there are many inclines.
Volleyball
Volleyball
With endless miles of sandy beaches, it comes as no surprise that Brazil excels at volleyball. Both the men’s and women’s teams are administered by the Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol (CBV). The men’s team has won gold medals at the Olympic Games, while the women’s team has won two.
Amateurs and professionals hone their skills on sandy beaches in seaside cities like Rio de Janeiro and Vitória. In terms of the domestic Brazilian Volleyball Super League, Minas is the most successful team in the history of the men’s league. Rio de Janeiro has tasted the most success in the women’s league.
Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is another sport which receives plenty of interest at Brazilian sports betting sites. The men’s national team have performed well in international competition, having won the World Championships twice, achieved three Olympic bronze medals, in addition to regularly winning the Pan-American games.
Hall of Famer Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt is considered one of the greatest Brazilian basketball players of all time. Although he never played in the NBA, stars like Bruno Caboclo (Memphis Grizzlies), Cristiano Felício (Chicago Bulls) and Raulzinho Neto (Philadelphia 76ers) have all represented Brazil in the league in recent years.
The History of Sports Betting in Brazil
Being a country synonymous with sporting success, it is no surprise that Brazil has maintained a strong gambling culture throughout the centuries. Betting and competition go hand in hand and up until the end of the Second World War, gambling was legal in the largest country in South America.
When the Social Democratic Party was elected, a change of approach was implemented, with the vast majority of forms of gambling being banned. Shortly after, betting activities were prohibited even further, with the all traditional casinos made illegal, leaving just the lottery and horse racing as a medium through which individuals could speculate. Even prior to World War II in 1941, all unregulated sports betting activities had been made illegal under the Criminal Contravention Act.
Bingo’s Legal Loophole
Bingo’s Legal Loophole
The 1990s saw the rise to prominence of video gaming machines. A legal loophole that enables bingo machine companies to function if they sponsor amateur sporting teams or events, facilitated the expansion of video style betting, with an estimated 1,000+ bingo venues dotted across Brazil.
A brief bribery scandal in 2004 resulted in a ban on bingo, but the demand and established business soon ensured that the prohibition was a temporary measure.
Internet Censorship
Internet Censorship
When the internet really started taking off just after the turn of the millennium, the Brazilian authorities, like many, were ill-equipped to deal with censoring and regulating their citizens’ online betting activities. Obviously, the advances in technology which resulted in this new medium for wagering, could not have been accounted for, and it soon became a cause for discussion within the Brazilian government.
Keen to gain control, the government first produced a bill which aimed to outlaw online gambling in 2008. This failed and was followed by another unsuccessful attempt in 2009 to force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ban gambling websites.
Debit and Credit Cards Blocked
Debit and Credit Cards Blocked
Unperturbed, Brazilian authorities again tried to control affairs in 2010 by attempting to pass a bill which blocked Brazilians from conducting financial transactions with online gambling operators. This again failed, but in 2011, the government took the first real steps towards banning online sports betting by passing a legislative proposal which suggested prohibiting the use of debit and credit cards to place bets – be it online or offline.
On the surface this appeared a counterproductive move with the World Cup 2014, a massive income generator, so close. However, there was an exemption offered, which allowed betting on federal sports lotteries and other games offered by Caixa Economic, the Brazilian bank that has also branched out to betting.
The Long Road to a Regulated Market
The Long Road to a Regulated Market
After more than 70 years of what many Brazilian gamblers consider draconian laws, sports betting in Brazil will soon be legal and regulated. Many questions remain up in the air, including whether the ban on debit and credit cards will remain in place and whether the initial limit of 30 betting licenses will be thrown out the window to rake in even more tax money.
Whatever is decided by the powers that be, you can rest assured that we’ll update our guide to sports betting in Brazil as soon as more details emerge. Until then, enjoy betting on your favourite sports at one of our recommended betting sites.
Brazil Betting FAQs
When will legal sports betting launch in Brazil?
Can I use my mobile to bet online in Brazil?
Which sports betting sites accept Brazilian real?
Can I get a free bet at Brazilian sports betting sites?
About the author
Alan Penny
Editor-in-Chief
Alan hails from Northern Ireland and is an avid fan of all sports. He has been with us since 2017 and serves as SBO’s Editor-in-Chief. Alan passionately covers everything from the latest regulatory developments across the globe to tips on the latest football matches.
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