Brazilian Esports Betting Faces Strong Limitations In Wake of New Ordinance
Esports betting in Brazil is set to face significant limitations as a new ordinance handed down by the Brazilian Minister of State for Sports will prohibit fixed-odds betting on esports games not recognized by the International Olympic Commitee (IOC).
This new, potentially devastating ordinance was highlighted by betting regulation monitoring platform VIXIO in a Jan. 10 release.
Ordinance 125, published on Dec. 30, 2024, going into force that day, stated specifically on “e-Sports” that:
“Bets on non-professional sporting events and competitions that are not officially recognized by the competent entities are prohibited, especially involving those non-professional professional without ties to recognized sporting entities or who do not meet the professionalization criteria established by current legislation.”
Brazil Prohibits Non-IOC Recognized Esports Betting
This move would effectively limit betting on games such as Counter-Strike 2 , Dota 2, and League of Legends – the largest markets for esports betting. These games, as it stands, are not officially recognized or sanctioned by the IOC.
Speaking to VIXIO, Udo Seckelmann, a gaming lawyer in Brazil with Bichara e Motta law firm stated that he believed that the Brazilian Ministry of Sports may have simply made an error:
“The Ministry of Sports has only permitted bets on esports recognized by the IOC which excludes several esports games. Hopefully, they will update this to include more, which is a possibility according to the ordinance.”
Why Using The IOC To Pick “Official Esports” Is A Problem
The IOC , perhaps ironically, is not the most reputable governing body for esports. In 2023, the organization held the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore, which featured almost no conventional esports games, instead featuring titles like Gran Turismo, Tic Tac Bow, and Just Dance to represent Olympic disciplines.
This policy – to link games to existing Olympic sports – has led to some interesting inclusions and omissions. Fortnite, for instance, has represented Shooting at the Olympic Esports Week (not the normal battle-royale mode though, a custom target shooting game mode) However, with no real-world analogies, League of Legends and Counter-Strike, two of the largest esports in the world, were not present.
The upcoming Olympic Esports Games 2025 , held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, do not currently have a full list of recognized and included games. However, it is known that many of the previously featured games, such as Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, and Fortnite, will likely be returning, and League of Legends and Counter-Strike
Observers are hopeful that Brazilian authorities will likely make changes to Ordinance 125 in the near future. As it stands, the current restriction will severely limit the offerings of esports bookmakers in the Brazilian market.
