Industry leaders agreed that governance, responsible gaming and legal certainty will be key to the sustainable growth of Brazil’s gaming industry.
The inaugural edition of GAT Brazil concluded successfully after bringing together regulators, operators, suppliers, legal experts and industry associations to discuss the current landscape and future of Latin America’s largest gaming market.
Throughout the conference, speakers consistently emphasized that the long-term success of Brazil’s regulated gaming industry will depend on stronger governance, compliance, responsible gaming initiatives, institutional cooperation and more effective action against illegal operators.
Building a stronger regulated market
Opening the event, José Aníbal Aguirre, Founder and CEO of GAT Events, highlighted Brazil’s strategic importance to the global gaming industry and officially announced the First Latin American Responsible Gaming Congress, scheduled to take place in São Paulo in October 2027.
Meanwhile, Liliana Costa, Latin America Director at World Gaming Business, reaffirmed Brazil’s position as one of the industry’s most promising markets and emphasized the organization’s commitment to increasing the country’s international visibility.
Illegal gambling remains the industry’s biggest challenge
One of the event’s central themes was improving market channelization and reducing illegal gambling.
During his keynote presentation, Alex W. Pariente, Founder of Pariente Advisory and Chair of GAT Brazil, revealed that Brazil’s regulated betting market generated approximately R$37 billion in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) during its first year, while warning that a similar amount still circulates through illegal operators.
Panelists agreed that Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) has made significant regulatory progress but stressed the need to strengthen the regulator’s operational capacity.
Compliance and responsible advertising
Experts also discussed the role of responsible advertising, player education and payment providers in supporting the regulated market.
Leonardo Baptista, CEO of Pay4Fun, highlighted the importance of preventing financial service providers from simultaneously serving licensed and illegal operators, while other panelists stressed that stronger institutional cooperation will be essential to reducing illegal gambling.
B2B licensing takes centre stage
Another key topic was the future licensing of technology providers.
Representatives from Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), SoftConstruct, Cactus Gaming and ABRAJOGO agreed that certifying the entire supply chain will help create a more transparent and sustainable gaming ecosystem.
Certification of payment providers, gaming platforms and compliance technologies was identified as a critical step in strengthening Brazil’s regulated market.
Physical casinos back in the spotlight
One of the conference’s most anticipated sessions focused on the future of Bill 2234, which could pave the way for the legalization of land-based casinos in Brazil.
Industry leaders agreed that the experience gained through online gaming regulation provides a solid foundation for developing a modern regulatory framework for integrated resorts and physical casinos.
Potential benefits highlighted included increased tourism, foreign investment, job creation and higher tax revenues.
Prediction markets and state lotteries
The conference also explored Brazil’s evolving prediction markets and the future development of state lotteries.
Speakers discussed the growing digitalisation of lottery products, the expansion of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and the opportunities technology presents for modernising the sector.
Looking ahead to GAT Brazil 2027
Closing the event, José Aníbal Aguirre reaffirmed GAT Events’ long-term commitment to Brazil and confirmed that the next edition of GAT Brazil will take place on 20–21 October 2027 in São Paulo.
Organizers concluded that the inaugural edition successfully established GAT Brazil as a new platform for regulatory dialogue and industry collaboration, supporting the development of a more transparent, responsible and sustainable gaming market.
